Words From The Heart
by Hanzatsu-Hime
Summary: He left. He's gone. But that doesn't mean she'll give up on him! A carrier pigeon is her only means of communication for now, but she'll take it. Letters sent by and thru the heart will be difficult, but it's all they've got! Now with Epilogue ZxN
1. Words of a Lonely Heart

**_One Piece_:**

Words From The Heart

His travels had brought him all around the world. He had been living this life for years now, ever since the day he left. He didn't have any choice in that life changing situation, so he followed his gut and was gone. He now resided in a town far west of the Grand Line, away from his old friends and loved ones.

He didn't think anyone would find him, but she did. Of course she did. She knew _everything_. _About_ everything. About **him**.

She sent a carrier pidgin to him. Attached to its beak was a letter. He wasn't sure whether opening it was the smart thing to do, because then he'd have to respond. But, he could not refuse her. He would forever hate himself if he did. So, he detached the note from the bird, cautiously, since it was shaking from his touch. Once the envelope rested in his palm, the bird was off.

That day, Zoro received a letter by air-mail. It read:

Dear Zoro:

I know life's hard

From your point of view.

Thinking that no one

Would ever want you.

Your mind scorned.

Your body scarred.

Your hands torn.

Your spirit barred.

I want you to know

That no matter what you do

Know that someone

Is always waiting for you.

I want to hold those hands

That have been beaten to sores

I want to hold your heart

To destroy pain bore.

I want to feel

Your rough gentle touch.

I want to feel

My body in your clutch.

So, I know life's hard

From your point of view

But I just thought you should know

That someone does love you.

That someone is me.

Someone does need you.

And that someone is…

Love, Yours Truly, 

Nami

He smirked a pained smirk after reading it over a few more times. This was, or so he hoped, his ticket home. A place where he could be happy and escape the pain she had mentioned in her letter. He got out a pen and paper swiftly and responded. Now all he needed was a damn carrier pidgin and then maybe, just maybe, he could finally return to her what he had taken.

!

This is for: Mushroom Pizza, gothywolfie and MyLittleCougarPaws who asked me to post anotha ZoNa fic. & to all my otha reviewers: Darkest Love, Mew05, Omnichild, ShadowVixes, Kgmck-17, Mizu-Chan843, fighting dreamer naruto, lil kagome 13 and illustratedperson. Hope u all enjoy dis 1 as much as "Nami"!


	2. Words from the Unknown

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

She waited patiently for his response. After so long, she had finally found him and was able to reconnected. But excuse her for not being as enthusiastic as one should be. After all, he had taken something precious, one of a kind, from her. She wasn't sure if she just wanted it back, or him, but either way, his response was needed.

It had been almost a week since she had sent her little poem to him. It was hard for her to admit her feelings so freely, and through such profound words, too. But for him, she felt it was worth it. He already knew this, but he still did what he did. He left and stole from her. Something that only someone as low as Arlong would do. And yet, she found herself intrigued to receive his response.

But what exactly did she think he was responding to? All she did was write up a few lines of words that had been lying deep within her heart for months, years even. But what exactly did she think he was responding to? She didn't expect to receive a letter right away, that's for sure. It was him she had written to, of all people. So maybe that's why she wasn't as anxious as she wanted or assumed she'd be. She was the only person in the world who didn't fear those hands, so she wasn't worried or shocked to see SkyRide come back without a letter. Plus, he was shaken.

He wasn't a man of words, either. So there was no way in the three states of life, earth, heaven or hell, did she think he would respond with a Shakespearean answer that basically said, "You are my strength, my light and adversity. You are my only want and need. My heart's one desire. I'm coming home soon. For you. Because I love you." Heh, that's more than too much to hope for. That's about as likely as her giving up on him. And that was impossible.

So you can imagine how shocking it was for her when a white carrier pidgin arrived exactly a week later, by date and time, with a cream-colored envelope in its mouth. The bird flew right onto her shoulder and nuzzled her hair as she gently took the letter. It did not leave her side, as if to say, "I am to give my master your response as soon as you finish reading what he wrote." She didn't mind.

That day, Nami received a letter. It read:

Dear Nami:

Now, I'm not a poet, so I didn't write you a poem.

But I want you to know that I…

The letter trailed off repeatedly. There were scribbles all over for about four more lines. Then, he started his sentence again.

…I want you to know I took your words to heart. They mean a lot to me still. Thank you.

I'm sorry, though, I cannot return home.

At first I found this as my one-way ticked home, however I realize now that is impossible.

I have moved on.

You have moved on.

Our lives are completely different and we are too different then we ever were.

To suddenly join now would be difficult and hard.

And I do not wish to burden you with me another time.

Once in a life time was one too many.

I hope you understand.

I would really enjoy staying penpals if you wouldn't mind.

I'd love to hear more stories from you, like when we were…together

…As…On the S.S. Merry-Go.

Those were the days, but they are now gone.

Please respond using WhipLash once you finish reading this.

…Scribbles were seen on the page again…

I am borrowing him from a neighbor.

I hope you know though that no matter what we've been through,

I do miss you.

A lot.

More than words can say.

I just hope you can still say the same.

Fr—Lov—Sincer—From:  
Zoro

P.S. I have cherished what I have taken with me that day.  
I hope you can say the same.

Nami's face changed many times while reading his letter due to emotion. She was confused and unaware of how to respond, but did. It took her a while and a few scribbles herself before she petted WhipLash once more and gave him the letter. She watched him fly off into the direction of the setting sun before sitting down her lounging chair once again and re-reading what he wrote her.

!

Hope you all enjoyed my latest installment of "Words From The Heart"! Hope it was somewhat as interesting as Nami's letter. Next chapter is the viewing of Nami's response and a little more understanding of what happened between the two of them. Check it cumin soon! By tomorrow or Wednesday! Ja ne!


	3. Words That Make A Heart's Beat Excel

_  
**One Piece: ** _

**Words From The Heart**

He was scared. Terrified, really. Or maybe petrified? Whatever you want to call it, it made him pace and shiver. This anxious want that filled his very being made him want to burst! It was tearing him up inside. He had thrown himself bear at her, telling her that he wanted to be penpals. Not only had he denied her request, which would make her upset and hurt, he risked it all when he asked to remain penpals. He would not be able to handle rejection. Not from her. After being away for so long, finally regaining contact, and then to lose it, would drive him mad.

Well, what man would not when the only treasure you own is something you stole from the one you… And then for that person to take it back out of spite? Plus, losing them forever?

His home meant nothing to him without his treasure. His swords meant nothing to him without his treasure. Life itself did not matter without his treasure.

She probably wanted it back now even more. He would deny her of it, of course, but that would be all he could do. He would not move away, run away, like last time, because then everything between them would be lost. But…he cannot give back what he took! Obviously, someone else wanted it. That's why she wanted it back. She could not harness the power and majesty of what he took herself, she needed someone to do it for her. So, that's why she wanted it back.

It was hard to write those wordsin his letter to her, "You have moved on." After all, that was what this was all about. _Moving on_. He had asked her to move on. She had refused at first, but now, she probably complied to his wish. He felt happy, angered, jealous and scared at the thought. Of her _moving on_. But it was for the best. Nothing else could be done about it.

WhipLash arrived in time to stop his thoughts before he hurt himself even more. He took the letter from'his neighbour's'bird slowly.

That day, Zoro received a letter. It read:

Dear Zoro:

Being penpals…

…exactly sixteen scribbles. He counted…

…isn't enough.

I get what I want, swordsman.

No matter what.

And I want you.

Love, Yours Truly:

Nami

P.S. Define 'moved on' for me. In both perspectives, yours and mine.

He couldn't pry his eyes from the letter. This letter, with only thirty-four words, made his heart beat excel in more than one way. These were her words, her thoughts. It wasn't a flashy, Shakespearean poem like the first time, but it hit home just as well. Maybe even better. He wanted to scream, cry, jump up and down, all at once. But with his stamina of the mind and will, contained himself. Except for one tear and a breakthrough smile. The only one on his masculine face since…then.

He inhaled, exhaled, and sat for a bit to think. WhipLash sat on the windowsill, looking out at the moon. He knew that the little bird did not want to make anevening trip, so he had all night to write up a reply. He grabbed his pen and paper hastily, as if they were his only lifeline, and began to jot down notes for his rough copy of the letter Nami would be receiving next.

Once again, a note from me! Ryoku's Jiki Sweetie! (inside thing! Lol Jem, Angel, Nicol, Sora, TJ, Ciciphone and Markala!) Anywoo, this chapter was just a bit of an insider of what happened to them. I'm sorry, but I'm actually making you use your brain! I noe, for sum, it hurts, but it's okay! One day, there won't be anymore pain, because u'll get used to it! Alright? NO ONE USE DAT LINE! DER! DAT WAS A HINT 4 DA NEXT CHAPTER! U SHUDN'T GET HINTS CUZ DAT JUST BLEW OFF MY LI'L TEASE, but I'm not that mean! Ja ne!

Thx 2 all your greatfans! Keep on reviewin and Ill keep on ritin! I Promise!

P.S. Plz, when u get da chance, check out: Mizu-Chan843 and Darkcatgirl6000! Thx!


	4. One Way to Fix A Broken Heart

**_  
One Piece:_**

Words From the Heart

Calm. That's what she was. That's all she ever was. Or ever appeared to be. Even through all the tragedy in her life, she had always been this way. When her parents died, when Arlong made her a deal, even when Zoro did what he did. She did feel hatred toward pirates for what they had done to her parents. Arlong was nothing more than a bastard to her. And Zoro…how could she forgive him? Really? After all the things she had been through and all the suffering and pain she's faced, how could she forgive him?

It's true. It is next to impossible for Nami to freely admit her feelings because she knows when you say something from the heart, it's sincere and meaningful and…important. And if someone, anyone, were to reject, ignore or throw your words away cheaply, it hurts. Your heart shatters every time. Even if you don't care that much for the person. Even if they're just an acquaintance or a passer-by. Whenever you say something you mean so loving or caring, it better mean the world to that someone or yours is obliterated.

And he knew. He knew that for Nami, the smallest thing could break her. If she got a new shirt and you called "ugly", she'd go sit up in the Crow's Nest and hide away form you. If you said her maps were "crap" and she was the worst navigator in the world, she would work harder but do her best to avoid you. If she ever asked anyone anything and they refused, no matter the case, she'd lock herself in her room and cry herself dry. That's how she was. She grew up feeling pain, she'll die in pain. That's how she saw life. That's how he saw her.

And yet, still. Still, he had the nerve to get up and leave like that. Without any word or explanation, he left in the middle of the night. He had taken their only row boat and left and never told her why. Can you imagine how long it would take for someone like Nami to get over something like that? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? Who can really say except her? But you can pretty much guess it would take a long time.

That's why she hated him. That's why she waited for him. That's why she used letters. That's why she smiles at his response. Oh, how she wanted to reject his proposal of 'staying penpals'. She wanted to tell him "Get a life! As if I'd be penpals with someone as sickening and low as you." She wanted him to feel the pain she had carried for so long. She wanted him to suffer the same way he had caused her to suffer for so long. She wanted him to cry himself to sleep every night and waste himself on tears just as she had for as far back as she can even remember. That's all she wanted. It's so simple. It's not a lot to ask for. She just wanted him to see, understand, feel the piercing broken glass in his chest like she had for…ever.

But, no matter what, she couldn't. She couldn't hurt him like that. And it mad her mad. So very mad. She couldn't understand why, she could only guess. Was it because she was that heartless? Was it because she'd only end up crying again out of happiness without her tears, since they were all now gone? Could it be…because…it's him?

"NO!" That doesn't make sense at all! How can she not want him to suffer? Her heart had lost him that moment she knew he was gone. He was forever lost to her now. She asked for a second chance, and he had refused her again. There was no hope. No hope for them. No hope for peaceful slumbers. No hope for her. She was broken for good.

WhipLash arrived at sunset once again the following day. He placed himself on his previous perch and gave the redhead the cream colored envelope he had in his small beak.

That day, Nami received a letter. It read:

Dear Nami:

You cannot still want me.

I know you.

I realize what I have done to you.

So I know you are lying.

This is exactly why we can never meet again.

You know I am right.

You just don't want to believe me.

Because, in both of us, there is a part that wishes to go back to those days.

But you have to understand, for my well being and especially yours, we can never go back.

Ever.

I want you to know that this same thought as caused me…to…

…Scribbles, as usual…

…let a tear go.

There! I said it!

Well, technically, I wrote it. But you get the point.

I'm sorry, but I think that even being penpals is wrong for us 'cause it is just going to cause us more pain.

But…I know this is confusing for you, it is for me to, but…

I need to speak with you.

I can never see you face to face, so I want to keep this going.

Our…bond is…special, one of a kind, just like…

Look, when I said you have moved on, I meant you probably got hi--/another…another…man…

…that last two words of that sentence were shaken and almost impossible to understand…

I mean, of course you would. You are Nami, after all.

The most amazing and fiery navigating hottie in all the world.

…Yes, I said hottie! Laugh now before you continue reading…

And I have moved on…in my own way.

No, I'm not gay!

I mean, I've found other things to occupy my time.

Like more intensified training and…training.

I also…train…and…go on adventures.

I actually almost have been to everywhere you've been, but I know I cannot ever beat your record.

It isn't much, but I'm pleased with what I have.

I think you should be too.

Please use WhipLash again once you finish reading my letter.

Fro—Sincerl—From, The One and Only:  
Zoro

P.S. I AM NOT GAY! GET OVER THAT ALREADY!  
P.P.S. No matter the situation, you are never getting back what I took, 'cause…you cannot have it back.

That was it. That is what she had needed to hear. He still knew her well enough to know she would have poked fun at him for the "I have moved on in my own way" remark that he made the comment she figured he would have said face to face. She could almost see him in her head perfectly. It almost made her smile. Plus, he admitted to her he had…teared…because of their separation. She never would have guessed in any other universe would ever admit to something like that. But, he did. To her.

She opened her stationary box, the one she had made especially for their penpal remarks. She pulled out her aqua pen and parchment and began writing a letter that could rival his.

  
Hayo 1c again! I just want to let ya'll know that **I won't be updating everyday**, but I'll do my best to have the **next chapter up by the following three to five days**. I want to hurry dis 1 up cuz I got **three more ZoNa ideas** I hope u'll all like! - Well, **look out 4 da next chapter**, cuz it'll b **cumin out soon**! Ja ne!

P.S. If **u like ZoNa fics**, (man I sound like 1 of dose freakin children shows or infomercials!) check out: **Mushroom Pizza**! U wunt b disappointed!  
P.P.S. If **u like dis fic**, check out "**Nam**i"! Hope u enjoy!


	5. Ignore Your Mind, Listen To Your Heart

_**One Piece: **_

**Words From The Heart**

In his dreams, he was always with her. Every night he slept and every nap he took, he would always dream. And no matter what else occurred in life or what else happened to him or he thought about, he could not control it. It started the first night after he left. He dreamt they were sitting together on a hill and she was leaning on his shoulder. He had his arm around her waist and they were both smiling at the setting sun. The calm cooling breeze ticked their cheeks as it danced through their hair. They were completely at peace. No words said, so no harm done.

Then he would wake up whispering her name, as if he had something he always wanted to say to her. But once he felt the emptiness in his arms, he would jump up in fear. He would search around his room for her, doing his best to find her, and right when he would call her name, he realized it was just another dream. She was not there. He left her. She was far, far away. She was forever gone. And then, he would sit there. He always bowed his head and closed his eyes tight, trying to close his mind, to make it shut up. As much as he missed her, he did not want to think about her. Because he knew he was an idiot and he could not make up for it now. So, he just wanted the world as he knew it to go away.

He never thought about it, you know? He never actually gave the situation any thought. He just saw what he saw and felt what he (thought) he felt. He really did not know which one it was. Was it his mind or heart? Who could say if he could not? And because he did not know, he was scared and angry. Since she was the only one willing to help, console or listen to him, he took it out on her. So, he left.

That's why he left. It made no sense to him either. It was only after that dream did he actually stopped to think about their lives. He never once thought about them together like that, and now he had no choice but to. Then and only then did he see the errors of his ways. At that moment, he was going to return to her. He truly jumped out of bed, grabbed all his possessions and ran for his boat. But as he hit the sea's shore, he stopped. He looked at the night's darkening effect on the water's color and thought of Nami. The water calmed down at his arrival, which at first, one would think of that as a sign to head off. But he only saw pain.

Nami…how could he approach her?

After what he had done, by abandoning her, leaving her alone…

How the hell could she ever forgive him?

If he faced her, would that gleam in her eye still be there?

The one that only he could conjure.

He highly doubted it.

So, he walked back dejectedly to his home and stared up in pain at his ceiling the rest of the night.

That letter from the infamous redhead he had become so close to made his heart let loose. He could feel his heart let go of its strong hold and relax for the first time in his whole life. He heard himself exhale a breath he did not even notice he was holding. And the next letter would always do the same. The connection they held allowed him to live again.

However, just seeing WhipLash return made him crack a smile, which he had almost forgotten how to do.  
His clean bright feathers glistening as the moon's light now made contact with his wings.

That night, Zoro received a letter. It read:

Dear Zoro:

You always told me you were a true man, that you always acted manly.

Letting fear get in your way and stop you from doing what you 'want' is not manly one bit.

You never let fear get in your way before, do why change now?

If this is the Zoro you've turned out to be, then maybe you're not the Zoro I used to know and miss.

Please clarify which one you are.

The manly, strong amazingly hot Zoro I used to know. ;P

Or the new thinking, sensitive, fearing…maybe hot Zoro that you sound to be.

I need confirmation before we continue our little exchange of letters now and then.

Remember, I'm taking my time to respond to you, so you better answer truthfully.

Even in a letter, I know when people are lying.

Sincerely,  
Nami

P.S. Thanks for the compliment! I used to think you were sexy yourself.

What could he say about this letter. She had called him…a woman! She said he was unmanly! He was the most manly man in all of man kind! (A/N: Don't we know it! ;D) How could she call a man who trained with swords, saved her ass from all sorts of trouble and was ripped hard core unmanly? Oh, it was on! She had issued a challenge in her letter to him, and he accepted.

Once again, he took out his pen and paper and made many upon many rough copies so he could beat out her letter. And half through his fifteenth try, he came up with an idea that he knew would shock her breathless. A devilish smirk spread across his tanned face like a lion readying to pounce. Oh, was she gonna lose!

Hayo 1c again! How r u all? Good? Maybe? Some where close to that? GOOD:D If not…I hope my new chapter cheered u up! Anywoo, just wanna say I luvd ur feedback 4 chpt. 4! X) U guys r amazing! U r da best reviewers in da whole WORLD!

Keep on reviewing and Ill keep on ritin:D

If anyone noes good ZoNa fics, plz tell me


	6. What He Does That Captures Her Heart

**_  
One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

Dinner…

The water's cradling motion on the ship…

The pain she felt after their argument…

Her friend's hold…

His pained and scared look…

The emptiness she felt when she found out…

That's all she could think of now. At first, this mystery plagued her thoughts to no end. She could never understand why he left since those few facts about that night and following morning were all she could remember. Since all she did was want to forget. But after time's passing ways, she had slowly, very _very_ slowly, let her mind slip. Eventually, she could wake up again by the sun's golden rays through her window and be able to smile about it. Nothing new came into her life, it just went on, and she stopped waking up with him as her first thought.

See, Nami was Nami. She never needed pity or consoling to get over the pain she felt, she just took care of it herself. To her, it worked. Once you experience pain, it will always be there, because the pain you feel is a cracked piece of glass from your heart that will never be able to be fixed. Never. So she found the only way to get over pain was to let it tire itself out. If you put up with it long enough, it will eventually get bored of consuming you and leave you alone. That was best way fit to her.

However, as soon as she found his address, she felt all the pain she had ever suppressed swell up at once and burst through her heart's only seal of protection. To be honest, that night, when she went to bed, she collapsed on the floor. From exhaustion and the unbearable feeling she lived off of. It was her way of life. It was never going to change. Yet for all that 'life' to shoot out at her all in one moment, it would tear anyone apart from the inside out. But not Nami. She was weak and panting at first as she gripped her carpet, trying to find some outlet, the tears piling up in her eyes. Sadly, after a while, however, she was laughing. This was nothing new to her, so she was laughing at herself. How stupid she must look at that moment, on the floor, holding onto a carpet, trying not to cry.

But that's when the tears came out. Everything she had ever felt, good or, especially bad, poured out of her soul through her tears. And all she could do was laugh and groan. She choked a few times on air, as if it was water she was breathing, or it was unneeded. And she stayed there all night long. Even a little into the next day. She couldn't move at all, so she ended up just sleeping the day away on the floor. She got to enjoy a bright and peaceful sunrise before slumbering off. So maybe, when she woke up, she would be able to calm down a bit.

Nami's flashback made her smile with a heavy heart. The thought of that night coming back to her had been continuous recently. More so whenever WhipLash came to deliver the aqua-haired heartthrob's letter.  
Once again, he sat on her shoulder and stuck his head out slightly, requesting her to take the letter. Shockingly, this time, when she took the parchment in his mouth, he zoomed off out the window. She blinked a few times in confusion and curiosity, but only thought of it as a passing thought.

That day, Nami received a letter. It read:

Dear Nami:

I understand how you must feel.

I mean, when I got your letter, I felt so many different emotions at once, if I didn't respond to you, I was going to burst into a million…no a trillion pieces.

But you have to understand, it's not so much fear as it is caution.

I don't want to hurt you anymore.

And I know that if we meet again, all I will do is hurt you even more.

I know what is going on right now doesn't make any sense, but…I'm so confused.

I'm not letting anything hold me back because this is what I think we should do.

It's what's right and safe for…

…In a way, both of us.

But I'm doing this for you, okay?

From:  
Zoro

P.S. Look on the back and tell me what kind of man I am?

So, Nami did just that. She turned the letter over slowly, confused by what he was requesting. But once her eyes came in contact with other side of paper, she gasped in understanding. On the back was a painting of Zoro. His hair was a bit longer, maybe thicker, down an inch more on his neck. His skin was still a nice tanned color. His eyes stared at her, almost lifelike, with a certain way of saying, "Hey there, hottie." But most importantly, his flimsy white shirt was no where to be found. He was smirking at her, too. With a devilish grin.

His broad shoulders were slanted as he gave her an almost shrug-like pose. His body sparkled, sweat dripping down his body from his training. Shockingly, his swords weren't at his hip, but one hand was as the other hung loose at his side. He was also leaning against some dark, mahogany wall. But more intriguingly, he was ripped beyond words. Sure, he was steaming hot before, but now…Nami needed to sit down. His six pack was illustrated perfectly, outlining all sides of his muscles. There was even a shadow to them, so you could imagine their size. His pecs were larger as well. She hoped he was inhaling when the picture was taken or else she would have to watch out for him. 

Nami fanned herself with her at the sound of her heart beat growing intensely. This was…a…breath-taking picture, she could say that much. (A/N: Dunt U want 2 c it, eh? I noe I DO!) But it gave her an idea for her next letter.

HAYO! GUESS WUT? **IM WRITIN A ZoNa CHRISTMAS FIC**! Plz enjoy it! It'll b **out by next _MONDAY_**! WA-HOO!


	7. How She Ended Up Shattering His Heart

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

He could not wait for her response. After his little 'show', she better have something to say. They were both really vulnerable in this little exchange, more or less. Because the one person they would never want to stumble in front of was the one person they were exchanges letters with. Zoro had no idea what his dream-mate was thinking, but he hoped it was something good.

And the sight of SkyRide made him even happier.****

One night, Zoro received a letter. It read:

Dear Zoro:

I want a man.

No, I need a man.

A man who can hold me in his arms and kiss so powerfully, my lips bruise and go numb.

A desire a man who needs me as much as him.

One who would kill the lord of a kingdom to save me if he had to.

One who loves me with his whole being.

So much, after the special night we would share, I would not be able to move due to the pleasure and pain mixed together from our love-making.

Do you understand?

Someone who is better than me.

I am worthy of no one.

I have been sullied by mind of Arlong.

It is like you would say, I am a witch.

The devil's personal witch who bursts out of hell whenever I sense anguish and unbearable tormenting pain.****

I am able to admit it.

After all, that's why I was granted this amazing body, eh?

And the mind of a genius!

I have got the whole package, right?

Heh, no where near.

What I need to sustain life is far gone from my grasp.

So, I live on as a hollow shell.

My body is basically a cast that just holds my spirit down

…for you.

But I know it is stupid to think like that.

So, I wait for 'Mr. Too-Good-To-Be-True'.

For the longest time, I hoped 'he' was you, but now…

Oh well, what can I do?

Anyway, I am just glad to know we are still both single.

Maybe one day, when all this mellow-drama dies down, we can see each other again.

Oh man, just thinking about it makes my mind race and my heart burst.

I better go before I need to go to the village doctor.

See you, Zoro!

From Sincerely lovely,  
Nami

P.S. You are the type of man I wish I could see and be with. That is the only thing I can say at this time.

…Well, what would you say to something like that? That it was confusing? Spoken from the deepest depths of her heart and soul? Something you could only say to your one and only? That is nice of you to think so, since you can think about this situation. For Zoro, it is a whole other story.

There were some positive comments in this letter:

**1**. Her details on the man for her-he pictured himself completing her wishes, and boy was he excited.

**2**. SHE SAID SHE WAS SINGLE!-enough said.

**3**. She did claim she once thought of him as 'the man for her'-that meant they had a future and if he were to tell her he was coming home in his next letter, he would have a greater chance.

But, with the pro's, comes the con's:

**1**. She insulted herself because she assumed that was how he addressed her-sure, back then, he might've. But not now. Not after…all that has happened between them and is still going on.

**2**. She now waited for someone else-although he wanted her to move on, it made him sad to think she wanted her 'stolen good' back when it had no purpose at the time being. Plus, it meant that she would be able to forget him. That would be good for her, but heart breaking for him.

**3**. That meant she did not go along with…_it_.-That meant he wasted years of his life away from home and her for nothing. That meant she did not even…then why did she have to do that to him? He left her because she sliced his heart worse than he could ever do to any opponent. And now she was trying to tell him that what she did meant nothing at all to her? She did not feel guilty one bit?

Oh joyous day, he was going to have fun writing his next letter and getting her response to it.

"…I think…enough has been said, Nami. Something drastic needs to be done now."

  
Ooooh!


	8. Never Say Never! fb 1

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

"You, IDIOT! Look what you did to MY MAPS!"

"Well, _excuse_ me for not caring!"

"Without them, we would be lost at sea! And we could get sucked into a storm!"

"Right, 'cause now you are _telepathic_."

"Yeah, and you are just plain _**pa**thetic_."

"WHY YOU!…"

"What? C'mon! I dare ya to hit me with your big ol' swords! Show me what you are made of!"

"…Hmph. I will not waste my valuable time on a self-absorbed and self-conscious witch like you!"

"Uh-huh…Wait, **WHAT**? _ME_? Self-**_CONCSIOUS_**? I am the only one on this whole ship who can sit here in a bikini!"

"If you can even call it a bikini."

She broke out into a howl-like laugh.

"What now?"

"I…never thought…in all my years, I would…ever hear…Roronoa Zoro say…bikini! HA HA HA HA HA! I did not even think you knew what one was!"

"Grr…"

"Aww, no comeback? Too bad, I was having fun." She winked and walked out onto the deck.

_We had a life, we had our love,_

_But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it_

_Well that was then and this is now_

_And I want you back_

_How many times can I say I'm sorry?_

He glared at the retreating figure of the navigator who let the door swing open after her exit, just to tease him. And he could not help but get sucked in by her magnetic allure. He hated himself for it, yet he found it pleasurable, which he could not ignore. Every motion of her hips, the bounce in her step, her dancing hair, all of it attracted him. But hell would freeze over and spit the devil out on a fairy hunt before anyone would find out. Es_pecially_ her. That would only inflate '_Ms. Princess_'' ego more.

The rest of the crew, the ones forgotten, stared at the swordsman, who appeared to be deep in thought. They all just blinked, sighed and moved on with life. Even Sanji. Recently, their arguing had become an unquenchable thirst. If they were not arguing, they were not in the same room. If they were in any contact at all, they would find a fault about the situation and yell until Luffy would stop eating. Even if they needed to save Chopper from drowning, they would argue about how he fell in, how to save him, who should save him, etcetera. Which, by the way, began to scare their friends.

They eventually got used to it and just let them beat each other out. But who ever lost in the end was never mad. Everyone found this very strange, mainly because they were both very strong-willed and loved it when they were on top. Even more so around each other. However, they knew it was none of their concern, and even though it scared them indescribably, they tried to ignore all of their quarrelling and move on with life. Though they never could. So they just watched the show.

Eventually, Zoro got up from his spot in the 'wreck room' and headed on to the deck himself. The crew did not even seem to notice him. He walked into the setting sun's view and just stared at its radiance. The brightness of the fiery sphere (though no one at the time knew it was a sphere) had a staring contest with Zoro. And Zoro would not be defeated. He never was! No one beats Roronoa Zoro! …And that's when he remembered Nami.

'_Too bad, I was having fun_.'

_(How many times…?)  
Oh, yes, I'm sorry…_  
  
What did that mean? Did that mean she… No, of course not. Come one, man! She could have her choice of any guy in the world! Why in the heavens, on earth, or in the deepest depths of hell would she choose him? …And so what if she did not! He could have his pick of the litter if he wanted to! It just was not interested at the moment.

…And who says he wanted her anyway?

Yeah, she is intelligent. And she moved with the grace a female sword fighter. Plus…she was…pretty? No, the word did not do her justice…Beautiful? Close, but not enough…Gorgeous? Getting warmer…warmer…it is getting hotter…Indescribably radiant? Yeah, that would fit! But Zoro's not the type of person to say something like that. So, he just thinks it. No one knows what goes on inside his mind, so how would anyone know if he truly thinks like that, hmm?

After a while, Zoro became enticed with the sun and could not stop himself from watching it set, only soon to fall asleep, just like the sun when it disappeared at the edge of the sea.

He awoke the following morning to the sense of someone's aura. It was an uneasy feeling in his gut that shot him awake. However, his eyes remained closed. '_Someone…is after me,_' he thought rather calmly, '_No one can pull a sneak attack on me! I am just gonna halfta squash this li'l sucker!_' In 3…2…1…and he's off! Zoro jumped from his seated position against the wall and charged to where his gut lead him. He pulled out his sword and gripped the shank harder subconsciously. He then found the lurking figure turn to run.

"Oh no, you don't!" he shouted as he made his first and final move. He came right up behind the person and gripped their shoulder. From the shape of the bone, it was a female. He realised he had to be gentle since 'she' had done nothing to oppose him yet. So, he just flipped 'her' onto 'her' back and placed his sword on top of 'her' neck. (A/N:…any1 else a li'l…scared? 00.'…I guess we noe why he duesn't hav a gurl: she'd b dun in by da end of da night!…But he's still hot hot hot! )

"Who are y--…"

"Well well well, I guess I do get to see what you've got." He recognised the melody the moment it contacted his ears. He jumped backwards and placed the sword back in its scabbard. 

"NAMI! What are you doing out here right now? Are you okay? Damn it, do not sneak up on me like that! You know how I work when it comes to…"

"Zoro, you are rambling! Alright, I am sorry for sneaking up on you. But I saw you out here and I thought I would bring you a blanket since it is so cold out in the morning." She informed him rather calmly. He looked down beside her, and sure enough, there it was. A blue blanket. No pink or girl-y stuff on it. He looked at her with a touched look in his eyes and saw she was smiling at him. He loved it when she smiled. Yet when he made the remark about being 'okay', she cringed. He wanted to just make sure she was…

**WAIT A LUFFY-SCARFFING-DOWN-A-WHOLE-TABLE-OF FOOD SECOND!**

"You had approached me before?"

"Yeah. I always take a walk around the ship in the morning so I can check out the weather. I did not think you were so lazy, I would find you sleeping where everyone left ya'!" She grinned at his scowl.

"If you must know, I came out here last night, of my own free will, and decided I would enjoy sleeping outside." He told her with a deep, firm, truthful voice. And for that, she ruffled his hair with her hand.

"Of course you did," she said in a baby-voice, "because all puppies love sleeping outside so they can protect their masters."

"What?" he asked rather emotionlessly. Then he turned around and his eyes were glazed over as his nose scrunched up disapprovingly, "Did you just call me a 'puppy'?"

Nami loved it when Zoro growled. He sounded so manly when he growled and she loved it even more when he growled at her. That was half the reason she enjoyed fighting with him. This warm, wonderful, pleasuring feeling always ran through her body, from toe to head, but when it hit her stomach…Oh, how she would just love to kiss those lips of his and show him of much of a man he really was.

"No," she responded after the feeling grew less intense, "I called you my puppy. There's a difference."

"I am NO ONE'S! AND I AM CERTAINLY NOT A DOG! AND EVEN IF I WAS, I WOULD NOT BE YOUR'S!" he bore his fangs to her at the end of his declaration. He knew he was lying. He knew that if he was a…puppy (what a girl-y word, he thought), a cat or even a fish she was going to eat, he would not care. The 'puppy' could always be by her side, to watch over her. The cat would always be able to curl up next to her and her delicate angelic hands would run ever so softly through the fur. And the fish's last moments alive would allow his body to be graced by the touch of her lips. Something Zoro knew he would never get to feel.

"Zoro, you do not need to lie. I am not here to hurt you. I just came to offer you this since I know how cold it gets out here in the morning," she motioned the blanket, "But if you rather I take, that's fi--…"

"Go ahead," he responded rather flatly, "You need it more than I do. I have slept out here all night long. I am fine with…o-or wi--…withou--…witho—ACHOO!"

"Ew, Zoro! You are suppose to turn your head when you sneeze. Now I have idiot germs."

"I thought you said you were not here to hurt me." Zoro reminded. She looked up at the swordsman and could see so many different emotions popping in and out of his soul's windows, she felt overwhelmed herself. She sighed then and used her 'delicate' hands to bush him away so she could get up. She dusted herself off and then handed him the blanket without looking at him. He dragged his eyes from the piece of fabric to the red-head. "I thought I told you…"

"I do not want it." Was all she said. He knew she was lying. He could see the goosebumps rising on her arms from the temperature difference from inside her comfortable room to outside on the deck. She was just trying to show kindness to him. He could not help but feel happy. He took the blanket by grabbing her hand. She looked shocked by his boldness, not once had he ever held her hand, and let him drag her over onto the other side of the ship where the sun was rising. He sat down instantly upon reaching his destination and watched her figure as he pulled her over to the seat beside him. She had no clue what he was doing, but she trusted him enough to go along with it.

He pulled down lightly on her wrist, signalling her to take a seat. She did as she was instructed and sat beside the heart-throb. (A/N: I put that because he obviously makes my heart throb uncontrollably!…sry, get back to da story!) He then put his hand on her back, his second act of boldness in one minute, and pushed her forward slightly. Then used his other hand to wrap the blanket around both of them. Nami was beyond shock. She had no idea how to describe the moment she was in.

And to be honest, Zoro could not either. He was just acting on impulse. He just did not want her to leave after that little moment they had because he was kind of afraid it would never happen again. He wanted it to go on. "All we ever do is fight," he thought aloud, "It does not seem right to me. I mean, I have never done anything to you. You have...never done…anything…_so_ bad to me. But even if we had, it is all in the past. It should not bug us anymore. So stop with your fish eyes and just relax." He noted the fact that she had not moved since she sat down and had possibly stopped breathing.

She snapped her head up and nodded as soon as the words he said entered her ears. However, she was sitting a kilometre away form him! She would not sit closer. He sighed. '_I guess impulse is the only way to get things down around here._' He reached his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Their shoulders banged together, and he thought he heard her hiss. He immediately ripped off the blanket over their top halves and examined the girl. She had now turned her frown of pain into a forced smile, trying to convince him it was nothing. But before he could say anything, he realised something.

'_That was the same shoulder I grabbed her by this morning when I flipped her!_'

Without permission, he tore back her shirt's collar and examined the spot. All he could do was stare. He had bruised her. There was a brown-ish purpl-y bruise on her shoulder from his hand. He gently placed the collar back on her neck, completely deaf to her cries of 'privacy' and 'being rude'. But she stopped when she saw the pure look of fear on his face. He had hurt her. Her skin was marked by his horrid hands. She would not be able to wear any other shirts or her bikini top in public without someone asking her about the bruise, meaning she would not wear them at all. Even though she loved to, she would not be able to. He felt so bad.

He slumped back against the wall again, disregarding the blanket, and just looked into the sun's blinding brilliance, as if his punishment was to go blind by the sun. Nami, however was not going to stand for that.

"I…I am sor--…"

"Do not be," she said nonchalantly, "I am fine!…But I know how you can prove your sorry."

"How?" he answered almost too quickly.

She smiled her 'cute-smile' and replied in her seductive, needy tone, "Message my shoulders for me."

If the wall was not there, he would have scurried a mile back.

"WHAT? After injuring your shoulder with my hand, you want me to message them?" It did not seem to make sense to him.

"Well, if you do, the pain will go away. And I have this small pain in my neck. I think only your strong hands can do this for me. Please? If you do, my muscles will relax and heal faster." She was either testing him or teasing him.

"…But…What…uh…okay." As soon as he answered, Nami jumped up and sat in his lap. He was thankful she just did not lean back to see the blush on his cheeks. She was very close to him, very _very_ close, and he could not help but get nervous. Since she was shorter, however, he could still see the sun over her head. So, as careful as he could, he placed his gruff hands on her shoulders and began to make a circle motion. Nami arched her back forward at first feel of his touch, but was able to relax under the care of his hands. He lightly began to curve his hands over her bone and feel for her muscle. She moaned, it felt so good. She might even pay him for his 'loyal' services. She could not help but giggle at the thought.

_How can something so good go so bad?_

_How can something so right go so wrong?_

_I don't know, I don't have all the answers_

_But I want you back_

_How many times can I say I'm sorry?_  
  
After a while, the sun had risen a tiny bit higher, now able to shine over the rail of the deck perfectly. Nami felt so refreshed, she was smiling without even knowing. After, once she felt too good to be true, she, without warning, leaned back onto his chest. Her head rested on his pecs and she was too close for comfort, if you catch my drift. Zoro sat as stiff as a board. He did not know what to do! Luckily, Nami was there.

"Relax," she instructed, "just place your hands around my waist,"

"WHAT?"

"Shh, and calm down. Breathe a little, you know?" She turned her head up to face him and her head now resided under the cap his left shoulder.

He looked down at her quizzically and looked like Luffy when he saw no food on the table. Nami smiled up at him and swiftly gave him a peck on the cheek. Now, Zoro looked like Usopp whenever danger was approaching. She let out a small giggle. "You are so tight, Zoro-baby," she teased as she grabbed his hands and made them do what she told him to do, "Just breathe and calm down. I will not bite you, I promise." His arms, which were cement stiff, unable to bend, now formed a comfortable circle around the girls' hips. To his surprise, he found it rather…enjoyable. He cracked a small smile at her and allowed her to see it. Her smile just widened.

After time going by for a good few minutes, Zoro could not help it anymore. Anything and everything he ever felt for the girl in his lap had been swirling around inside him. It was so unbearable, he just had to let it out. He had to! If not, he was going to explode! But how could he…

Nami's lips made contact with his. His eyes were wide and he was stunned. '_I guess it is true what they say, "Never say never."!_' He was about to respond when she pulled away, his eyes half-open, and he stared at her. She just held her smile and was still able to look him in the eyes.

"I kind of got the message." She brought a hand up and poked his nose. He understood what she meant. She could see it in his eyes and he had gained all the courage he needed. She responded to his desire, there was no way they were turning back now. He used his right hand to cup her face while she brought her arms up around his neck. She was happy to see he did not remove his left arm from the resting spot around her body.

And then, they kissed. Zoro's lips made the plunge and Nami was just along for the ride. His lips were just like his hands; strong, firm and irresistible. She felt that wave again, that one whenever he growled at her, swell up in her stomach, she let go of a erotic moan. Zoro thought his eyes would have rolled back in his head. Her voice, lips, body was so…responsive to him. She now moved her position from facing the sun to allow him perfect access. Both her legs were hooked on either side of him and pulling him closer to her. The hand that rested on her hips, now in the small of her back, did the same. He wanted to feel her, _all_ of her. They were so close, and so passionate. His right hand now ran up and down her spine, sending another, entirely new wave of feeling over her, which made her moan again. 

Zoro lavished her lips one last time before tracing her jaw and moving down to her neck. He went all the way down to the 'v'-shaped collar of her T-shirt and began to outline her collar bone with his tongue. All she could do was sit there and let him torture and pleasure her. She began to move her hips forward, signaling him she was enjoying herself, as she played with his hair. Her hands slid up and down his neck, clenching and unclenching over and over again. He eventually had to hold her hips down, it was starting to get to him. Even more so since she was wearing a skirt. After he knew he had her, he let go of her neck and looked into her eyes.

Both were panting hard, neither never having felt something like that before. She could see the love, passion and pleasure in his eyes and he could see the same reflected in her own. Eventually, she fell forward onto his chest and rested her head. He just held her close, needing to once again feel her body, knowing she was there and he did not just have another one of _those_ dreams.

After a while, Nami was the first to speak.

"So, I guess you know by now, but," she turned her head to the side, still on his heaving pec, to get a better look at her still panting and sweating ship 'mate', "I have kind of been in love with you for a while."

"Really?" he coughed out after a small little while, trying to sound shocked, "Well, the same goes for you."

"Nuh-uh," she 'tsk'ed, "you need to tell me you love me." She moved up to eye level again. Zoro looked at his princess and realized it was no use. With her, his defense barrier was gone the moment she came within radius. He sighed in defeat, then brought her closer and growled in her ear, "I am in love with you too, Nami." He smiled when he heard her gasp. He knew she loved it when he growled and he loved knowing she loved it. She hugged him so suddenly after that, she knocked him against the wall. He laughed at her show of strength. That was his girl, alright!

"Well then," she whispered in her infamous seductive tone, "I guess you belong to your rightful master now."

"No, you belong to me. And vice versa."

"Oh, so you get a claim, and I get a 'vice versa'?"

"Yeah."

"How come?"

"Because I am the man in this relationship."

"That does not mean you wear the pants."

"HEY!"

_(How many times…?)  
Ooh, yes, I am sorry…  
(How many times…?)  
But you know…_  


**!  
**Hayo! I have a few shout-outs 2 do:

**kiwi wings:** really? Hmm…they might be acting kind of cowardly, but only because they are afraid! I mean, would you not b afraid 2 if da guy u like left u den u found him again and he would not come home 2 u? I would think he wuz wit anotha woman, who I would KILL! And wut bout WhipLash? Dunt u like him?

**illustratedperson:** Yes, drastic. The dictionary defines this words as: sudden and extreme. Now, we all noe Zoro's personality, and wut she wrote made him mad. You try 2 piece it 2geta, k? let me noe wut u think and I'll let u noe if ur rite!…or rong! Lol!

**shadow wolf:** no, I dunt tell in da otha chapters y Nami broke his heart. C if u cn figure out wut da next few chapters mean! n THX 4 enjoyin my work! Hope dis chapter was good enuf 4 u again!

**wingedblackheart: **really? R those words frum ur heart? Dey mean so much 2 me! I luv 2 hear when a fan really enjoys my work! And thx 4 always reviewin! U r an awsum reviewer! Keep on reviewin!

WHER WERE U, **gothy wolfie**?

**AND THX 2 ALL OTHA REVIEWERS! I just did dese 4 ppl who reviewd chpt. 7!**

PLZ: check out "Magnetism" at fiction press and review PLZ! It's ME!

JA NE!


	9. Complicated Agreement Result fb 2

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

The morning light shone brightly upon the newly formed couple. And even with its warmth all to themselves, they were numb to its offer of heat. For the only warmth they received was from each other. The blanket that had assisted them earlier lay limp around the former Pirate Hunter's shoulders and flowed down his arms, which were still wrapped protectively around the radiant maiden in his lap. She had fallen asleep only minutes after they had their first tease-off as counter-parts. One trait they shared was their wit, which was probably what attracted them first.

Zoro moved his hands up and down lightly around the young female's waist. He proceeded to kiss the top of her head as softly as his lips could and then used her head as a pillow. Her hair was so silky and soft, it tickled his cheek. He smirked at the feel, but did not laugh, in fear he would wake the sleeping beauty he was so fond of. However, his attempts were in vein, since only seconds after he placed his head atop hers, he felt her shoulders raise and fall. He shifted his face slightly so he could her head one last time before lifting his head off hers. 

"Sleep well?" he slurred out in a rough, croaking morning voice.

"Yes, heavenly." She whispered very delicately.

She took her moment of chance and sat up straight. Zoro watched her body very closely as she arched her back and threw her arms in the air while grunting in a feminine manor. Her curvy shape, after a few moments that she allowed him to stare, she fell back onto him and turned her head to look into his eyes. He could clearly see a bright white sparkle in her shapely fudge colored eyes. It was defiantly new to him, it was part of adjusting to change, but it was something that calmed him. He found remaining calm was difficult, especially on their journeys. He found himself enjoying the moment blissfully and knew the crew would awaken and ruin their moment together, he would be awaiting a stare just like this one from her again.

Nami took the peaceful moment as a chance to relive the early morn in the smallest manor. Her lips made contact with his for a brief moment…which turned into minutes…which turned into an morning make-out session. A calm, loving make-out session. After they finished… 'giving each other CPR', Zoro turned Nami around to face him and held her close. He brought one hand up to her head and began smoothing out any ruffled hair his shirt might have caused.

"So, how are you?" he asked, not having anything else in mind. He was mostly concerned about her shoulder still.

"Ha, I am fine. My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, thanks to your magic hands." She somehow was able to say seductively in her own kind of morning voice. It still hit home with Zoro anyway.

"Oh, that's nothing, really." He replied in his version of a tempting voice. He brought his lips down again to her lips. Nami tilted her head to the right in preparation, but the invitation was ignored as he took the opportunity to taste her neck once again. Nami did not mind, she just tilted her head more. '_I could get used to waking up like—…_' her thought was interrupted by his fangs and tongue now grazing the shape of her ear, '_…--this. He is defiantly a tru—ue man._' Every pleasurable move he made, she halted her mind to allow her other muscles to enjoy.

'_But…there is something that needs to be taken care of._' Her conscious piped up in reminder.

'_I-I know. But can't I j-ju-ust enjoy this mo-oment right n…no-w? Just for a whi-ile long-er?_' she pleaded.

'_And how much is a while longer? It needs to be said before anyone wakes up. You realize if you do not say anything now, you could end up in a dead-end relationship or have no relationship at all._'

'_…Alri-…on-e mo-ore minu--…_'

'**_NO!_**'

'_…Fine…_'

"…Hey, Z-Zoro-o?" Nami stuttered out through her fuzzy mind.

"Yes, Nami?" he responded with his lips still planted under her ear.

She pushed back calmly and slowly, just to get his lips off her. Otherwise, she would not be able to say what she needed to say. She waited a moment, after getting used to her hands on his hard, shapely chest, and said rather shakily,

"We need to talk."

Zoro's eyes went wide and his throat went dry. He may have never been…like _this_ with a girl before, but he knew. The four worst words in any language put together in a sentence. To say he was frightened was…an understatement? But he knew he had to stay strong and appear optimistic. So he sighed and followed along with her lead.

"…I see. So, this was fun, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, all right then," He proceeded to get up by bending his legs up and placing both hands on the wall behind him, "I will see you later."

_You can run, and you can hide  
But I'm not leaving unless you come with me  
We had our problems but I'm on your side_

"…Huh? What?" she asked with starry eyes, the eyes that suddenly broke his heart. Her voice was coated with hurt and her face, to his eyes, had gone pale. He was not sure what to make of this, but it truly made him curious.

"Is that not what you want? For me to leave? Are you not going to tell me 'this was a fun one-night fling'? Believe me kid, I have been around the block. I know things. I understand your code. I know what you are trying to get at and believe me, I understand."

"…So, I was a fling?" she asked in the voice you would hear from an orphan finding out they were a mistake.

He became upset now. Like he was the bad guy all of a sudden. He was her fling! That was what she was saying to him, all right! He knew! He was not a meat-head! He knew!…and it probably hurt him way more than she pretended it hurt her. But he was not going to fall for her little 'Orphan Annie' act.

"Well, I was your fling, was I not? Is that not what you are getting at?" (**A/N:** I **know **that is **NOT **how Zoro talks! I am just typing in proper grammar! KK?) Zoro sneered at the tricky red-head.

"NO!" she shouted up at him in defense. He instantly dropped his scrunched up expression and just looked down-right confused. After that, she held her body close to her, as if it was her only comfort at all, and looked at the blanket that had once again been mistreated, "I never said that. Maybe you should listen to people before jumping to conclusions, you know?"

He heard it in her voice. She had tried to sound strong, but her tune was broken up. He knew she was not lying, she could not possibly be. After all, Nami did not like to be left alone.

_You're all I need  
Please believe in me…_

Now, he felt horrible for hurting her. He intentionally tried to hurt her because he assumed something without hearing her out. He was wrong, and now she did hurt. All for what? After the time they had shared, already about five or six hours as a couple, he had hurt her. Yet…she did not run away or dump him. She just sat there, allowing him to leave if that be his wish. Even if it meant he was leaving her there on the floor by herself to cry, she did not care. If he wanted out, there was the door.

"You are right," he whispered as he fell to his knees and held her close, "I should have asked. I…I am…sorry. What did you want to say?" he tried to rush so it might go unnoticed, but casually so it would not seem like it was weird or stupid to him.

"Forget it now, it does not matter." She whispered, trying to hide her cracked voice, as she brought her arms up around his neck.

"Yes it does. Just tell me. I swear I will listen without walking away. Besides, with your arms around me, you would choke me if I even tried." He pointed out, trying to raise her spirit again.

"Heh, you bet I would." She laughed while tightening her arms grip enough to prove her point.

"So, let me know, what's on your mind?" he questioned, sounding a little more serious.

"Well, it is about…the crew." She admitted.

"The crew?" he was more confused now than before, "What about them? You want me to throw them overboard so we can have the whole ship to ourselves? Because that is a little harsh. I think we should dump them on a deserted island instead, then speed off. That is more logical, eh?"

"No, silly," she dragged her nails carefully down the side of his neck, "I mean…I do not want them to know."

"Why not? It would be easier if…you mean 'Crack-o Jack-o', right?"

"Huh?"

"I have a bunch of nicknames for that dumb blond chef of ours. I never call him by his real name."

"Why? Is that not harsh?"

"NO! He pisses me off. Always flirting—"

"—with me?" Nami teased.

"Well, yeah! The guy has no shame. It is extremely unmanly to dote around after someone. That is a maid's job, not a man's."

"What if it is a male maid?"

"There is no such thing."

"Yeah there is, just like a male-geisha. Actually, when I worked for Arlong, most of those guys were like male-maids to me. No one knew it but me and each one of them. But when I was younger, they treated kind of…okay. But as I got older, they knew I was too smart, I knew what they were up to. No way could anyone get anything past me!"

"…They were…your…male-geishas?" Zoro was too shocked to move, let alone come up with a sentence that could approach the situation.

"EW! Defiantly NOT! They just wanted extra cash, so they would act…a bit nicer, I guess, to get some since I was the treasurer. Kind of like you guys when you want money."

"I am NOT a male-geisha!"

"Will you get over that? They were not, repeat: NOT, male-geishas to me. I am still all in tact, virginity and all," she felt him tense at that and laughed, "They just 'doted' on me when they wanted money. That does not mean they were my slaves or pleasured me. Okay?"

"…O-okay."

"If you want, we can go to my room and you can check."

"WHAT?"

"I am just kidding. Man, for a guy who's always making jokes, you really need to lighten up."

"Hmph. Well excuse me if 'virginity' does not regularly come up in my conversations! I discuss or like the topic since no one has asked or told me about their 'virginital' situation, if that is even a word!" (**A/N:** It is NOT a word!)

"Wait, does that mean you do not have yours?"

"HUH?…Why are you asking these question?"

"Well, I just think my first time should be special and if the guy I am with has already done it and is experienced…that is nasty!"

"I never said I was!"

"So, you are not?"

"…(blush)…uh…no…"

" 'No, you are' or 'No, you are not'?"

"…I…have never done…'it', s-so what?"

"Oh, okay, good. So, does that mean you know nothing about 'it'?"

"SO, WHAT WERE WE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THIS INCREDIBLY WEIRD AND POINTLESS CONVERSATION?"

"It is not pointless! It really proves if you are a man because a real man can perform i—"

"WAS IT NOT MALE-GEISHAS? No no, it was…YEAH! We do not want the crew to know!"

"Oh right. Well, I only do not want them to know because I think it might…cause problems."

"What kind of problems?"

"Well, I mean, yes, 'Crack-O Jack-O' will be mad, but everyone will treat us differently. Besides, I like this whole secret thing. It is very…provocative."

"Hmm, I see what you mean."

"It is up to you, though. I mean, if you want to, that is fine. I am not going to try to persuade you. No teasing or seducing or anything."

"Aw man, not even a little seducing? That is the 'Nami essence'."

"No it is not. It is class, charm and beauty."

"Which you are over-flowing with all."

"Exactly!"

"…Well…I think this secret-relationship-thing on a boat this size will be difficult to maintain…but it sounds challenging. I am up for it! I say we give it a try!"

"Really? You are not just saying it that to seem manly so we will not have to take it downstairs, are you?"

"Are you up for it?"

"You are avoiding the subject, Zoro baby."

"I am not your baby!"

"Yes you are. That is my nickname for you."

"I am not your baby!" he closed the space between his teeth and her ear again, "I am your man, not baby. Remember that."

"O-okay." Damn, he knew how to get to her.

"Good."

"Now that that is settled, are you sure you are not avoiding the topic of ending up on my comfy cozy bed?"

"I love you, all right…"

! _At Dinner…_ !

_I only wanted someone to love,  
But something happened on the way to heaven_

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?" Usopp shouted at the bickering 'friends'.

After they had agreed to keep things under wraps, Nami and Zoro realized that they needed to act normal in front of everyone in order to make sure they were not suspicious. That meant avoiding each other, eating in their regular spots at the table and fighting. As if the world was coming to the end and it was both their faults. They tried acting normal, but they were anxious to see each other and found the night came too slow. So any chance they got, they would prolong their 'time together', if you can really respectfully call it that.

To prove my point, here is an example. Usopp was yelling at the two for having their 97th argument of the day. Sweet and charming Nami had asked kind-hearted Zoro to pass her the salt for her salmon. He agreed to give to her, after he was done. She waited two minutes exactly, she timed in her head, to receive the salt, even though Sanji was yelling at him the whole time. But when he finally did attempt to pass it, he knocked it over and two thirds of the remaining salt ended up on the table.

Gentle Nami, in her frustration, snapped her fork in half and without waiting for an apology, she began blaming poised Zoro and called him a 'dumb-bum'. He replied by saying he was not dumb and at least he had a bum, she sat on a pin cushion. She in defense, said ladies had bums and guy's had asses because that is what they are. Sanji attempted to agree with Nami, but did not know what to say to that. This went on for three minutes and forty-nine seconds before someone had to stop them. Sadly, it was Usopp.

"What did you say?" the quarreling duo said in unison.

_You got a hold of me and wouldn't let go_

"N-n-nothing at al-ll." Usopp tried to say as normal as possible.

"Well, is it not obvious? He was referring to you, pebble-brain."

"No no, he was surely talking about you, venom breath."

"Now, do not flatter me too much beefy, you will make me blush."

"But flattery gets you everywhere, bloody heart. You should know of all people."

"Really? Well with your charming skills, I am sure you would know as well. Is that not right, 'Tiny Tim'?"

"…What did you just call me?"

"I am sure you know what I am talking about."

"Uh-oh…"

"Nami, you should not…"

"She really should not have done that…"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh boy."

"Really now? I am 'tiny', huh? How would you know?"

"Just from the look of your pants. You are never as excited as a normal guy would be or you just do not have anything there."

"What are you talking about? You should…w-well, why were you looking at my pants? You a horny geisha now?"

"You wish. I bet with enough money, I would be the only girl, even if I was a geisha, who would be willing to offer you anything."

"I am sure you say that a bit nicer to all the other guys."

"Excuse me?"

"Cut the crap Nami! Do not cook over a fire if you are afraid of the flame! You called me out, so face the heat." '_Like the heat that is surging through me right now! Damn! I might just have to take her up on her earlier offer!_ _Though I will have to talk to her about her insults…_'

"Oh, I can handle anything you try to dish out!" '_Man, he looks so…irresistible when he is mad. I will have to remember that._ _Although I will not put up with the geisha remark again! That was just insensitive!_'

"Oh you can, can you?"

"Of course! I am so sure I can match any wit you claim to have!"

"So even if I ask you what two plus two is, you will answer…"

"Four, numb-nuts. Or should I say no-nuts!"

"Grr…that is getting old rather fast."

"Oh, is it too heated for you? Should you go jump in the ocean?"

"Nah, I am fine. I just think it is rather geisha-like to keep referring to a man's tool."

"How would you even know what one looks like?"

"Well, I am sure I could just ask you then. I bet you could draw me many models since you are so experienced. In both arts I mean."

"Man, you have sure got a mouth tonight. What is the matter? Is this argument getting you hot? I cannot even tell. Or are you just afraid to face the truth?"

"Like I said, you are horny."

"Ooh, you have some nerve, Roronoa Zoro!"

"So is that how you address all men when you ask for your payment before or after you take them around the world? Or do I just get special treatment because you really want to see what is under my sash?"

"Pfft! As if! I would not even consider it! You may act like a man outside the bedroom, but until you can face up to it, do not even look at me! I would not want you to feel heart broken when you realize you cannot get what you desire."

"Oh, and you think that is you? Puh-leez! Just as you said, I am Roronoa Zoro! I can get any girl I want. I could spend the night with any girl, dump them in the morning and they would still follow me until the end of time. Do not go thinking you are something special."

"Zoro…" she whispered, in attempt to make him slow his roll.

"Yeah right! No one is safe with you! I would rather go off against all the enemies we have faced unarmed than risk anything with you! Besides, even if I was that desperate, it would just be for some excitement!"

"Please, enough…" she tried again.

"I bet even with all your experience you still suck wrapped up in sheets! That is why you do not have a guy to mooch off of! Every guy you have ever met has seen right through your act and now cannot stand the sight of you!"

The next five seconds went by rather fast.

One…

She ran up to his face.

Two…

She slapped him across the face so hard, he turned his head. As he turned his head, he noted her tears.  
"You…"

Three…

"PIG!"

Four…

He collapsed on the floor and watched her run for the door. His mind in complete shock. So badly, he could not call to her, only watch her leave.

Five…

The door slammed so loud, he silenced the waves.

Zoro did not have time to even process anything before Sanji grabbed him by the collar and yanked him off the floor.

"YOU **BASTARD!**" he exclaimed in a certain way that was unnatural for his character, "HOW **_DARE_** YOU! SHE IS A **LADY**! She may have said things, BUT YOU WENT _WAY_ TOO FAR! SHE PLEADED YOU TO STOP YOUR RANTING, BUT YOU JUST **IGNORED** HER! DID YOU EVEN LISTEN? DID YOU EVEN _THINK_ OR _TRY_?"

'_Zoro…Please stop…_'

"**_NO_**! YOU KNOW _WHY_ BECAUSE _YOU_ ARE THE **BIGGEST** PAIN-IN-THE-_ASS_ **BASTARD** ON THIS ENTIRE **EARTH**! AND FOR THAT, **GO TO HELL!**" And in one swift motion, Sanji punched the swordsman in the jaw with a rock-hard punch. The chef let go of the shirt collar once he had inflicted pain so he could watch the man before him fall. And so he did. Zoro did not even try to defend himself. He allowed himself to fall. He welcomed the feel of the blood running outside his mouth. He wanted to understand what the hell was so wrong and he only would through experiencing her pain. 

"There," Sanji stated after a few seconds of watching the crimson liquid flow out, "You can feel something. But that is only a tenth of what you have done to Nami's heart. Maybe if your feeble brain can learn how to multiply, be the man you say you are and live through what you have done to her."

And with his point made clear, Sanji ran after Nami.

_And I want you back…_  
_How many times can I say I'm sorry?  
(How many times…?)  
Oh yes, I'm sorry  
(How many times…?)_

But you know  
You can run…


	10. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

'_What just happened?_'

'_What did I…?_'

'_How could he say that?_'

'_Why did those words come out of my mouth?_'

'_I know I asked him to argue with me, but it has never gone this far!_'

'_What I said…how I said it…oh man, I know what she is thinking._'

'_Could he really even think of saying that if he…_'

'_I never meant it to go this far. I never meant to hurt anyone,_'

'_Was he…? Did he…? NO, he could not have really…_'

'_Especially her. I would never hurt the one I love. She has to know that, right?_'

'_Not if he truly loved me…what did I do? Dear God, what did I do to make my life a living hell?_'

"You did nothing wrong, Nami." She squeaked at the sound of a voice in the same vaccinate as herself, and responding to her thought, no less.

_…and you can hide_

She knew who it was instantaneously. She just did not hear him coming, or knew he could read minds. She was also shocked with the way he spoke. After a quick inhale of breath, she turned to face her good friend and ship mate, Sanji.

"What are you doing out here, Sanji?" she asked in a voice too filled with pain to hide.

"I wanted to check on you," he openly admitted, "I want to understand."

"Understand what?" she scoffed, almost choking on her words.

"I want to hear it from you, Nami. I want you to tell me the whole story behind this. I looked like another innocent argu—"

"How can you say that?" she screeched at him in anger, "That was **_not_** innocent to any extent! Did you see the look on his face? Or mine? It was just another one of our stupid fights! We have them all the time! I do not care about them anymore!"

She stopped then as Sanji began to approach her after stomping out his cigarette. He looked at her with that stare that said, 'I am here for you.' But Nami was not comfortable with Sanji being compassionate with or holding her. After all, her and Zoro were…

Nami felt the world coming to an end as the blonde skirt-chaser, her good friend, wrapped his arms around her in the most…unique way.

_But I'm not leaving unless you come with me_

We've had our problems but I'm on your side 

_You're all I need  
Please, believe me_

'_Zoro never held me like this before…_' she thought in a calm state of mind, for the first time of the day.

His arms were around her shoulders and he rested his head at the side of hers. His embrace was not soft nor hard, but an easy relaxing hug. Something she had been requesting all day. And now here it was, something to slow the beat of her racing heart. And it was all thanks to S—…No! Wait! She immediately pushed back from the boy who held her and stepped back twice.

"Sanji, please…do not do that again." She warned him in a serious tone, but a rocky voice.

"You never refused my offer of consolation before Nami. So why now?"

"Why have I not heard '-san' come out of your mouth once this evening?"

"I know that now is not the time for jokes. And although I always call you that, it is a nickname. It is not your really name. So, to address you in a comedic manor right now would not get me anywhere."

"And just where are you trying to get? First base?"

"No, I already told you. I want you to tell me the whole story. From start to finish. I am trying to understand what let you two to tonight's intensity. Please, tell me. I swear on my title as a chef that I will not tell a soul."

"…I do not know…"

"You will feel better once you get it off your chest, Nami. Try it."

"…O-okay. But only because I trust you, Sanji. Do not break my trust please." She sat down and patted the seat next to her.

"I know. You know I will not." He obliged to her offer.

"…Alright…well, early this morning, I went for a walk around the deck to check the weather. And as I came up, I turned the corner and saw Zoro sleeping outside in the morning chilly breeze. He was visibly shaking and you could tell by his breathing it was bothering him. So, I went down to my room and tried to find a blanket. But all mine were…girl-y. And I did not really want him to know I had done anything. I thought then to check in one of your rooms, and I came across a nice blue blanket on the floor in Luffy's. I did not even remember seeing that piece of cloth before, but he was obviously not using it, so I brought it to Zoro.

"But I guess he sensed by presence and thought I was a criminal because I could not even offer my gift to him without being flipped on the floor…"

"**WHAT?**" Sanji bellowed as he jumped up to the stars, "HE **_FLIPPED_ **YOU? AND YOU _STILL_ SPOKE TO HIM? I AM GOING IN THERE **RIGHT NOW** AND SENDING THAT GUY ON A ONE WAY TICKET TO **RUSSIA**! (**A/N: **thou I dunt think it wuz calld 'Russia' at da time…sry!) AND TO THINK I ONLY **_PUNCHED_** THE GUY!"

"Sanji, please do not do anything. You swore to me you would not tell a soul what I am telling you now, remember?"

Sanji dropped his angry expression and looked at the girl, almost as if he was asking her, 'What are you talking about?' But after a little staring contest, Nami won and Sanji just sighed, sat down and let her continue on.

"Anyway, he let me go without hurting me," she lied, "and helped me up. I offered him the blanket, the whole reason why I was on the little adventure, and he just said he did not want it. But I forced him to take it, and he got me along with my offering. I do not know what made him think he was entitled to me as well, but he brought me around to the sun rise, placed me beside him and wrapped the blanket around both of us. …We continued to talk, and in some magical way, we came to the conclusion we…um…uh, we…hmm…we—"

"You told him you loved him first, right?"

"Huh? How on Earth did you know?"

"THE **_SCUM_**! THE **MAN** IS SUPPOSE TO ADMIT _FIRST_ AND FLATTER THE GIRL. HE IS SUPPOSE TO MAKE HER FEEL **_SPECIAL_**, AS IF SHE IS THE ONLY ONE ON THIS DAMN PLANET WHO MATTERS! _UGH_, **HE _DISGUSTS_ ME!**" Nami figured Sanji had a problem sitting still for very long because he was standing again, this time shaking his fist in the direction of the kitchen, where 'Nessy' was hopefully still on the floor.

'_I am so happy that I did not tell him about my shoulder._' Nami sweat dropped.

"But it was still nice."

"BUT HE DID IT WRONG! JEEZ! DID HE GROW UP DIPRIVED OF LOVE HIS WHOLE LIFE OR WHAT?"

"No he did not. Because for the last little while, he has had Me."

! In The Kitchen !

Zoro was finally able to get up after thinking for a while. He realized he had to talk to Nami and explain the only thing to her. That meant the arguing, his reasoning and his love yet again. After making up his speech introduction in his head, he raced toward the door.

_You can run…_

"NA—AHHH!" was all he was able to say before two bodies lunged at him to hold him down.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? IF YOU DO NOT LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW, I WILL MAKE SURE ALL THREE OF MY BLADES ARE SOAKED WITH YOUR BLOOD FOR ETERNITY!"

That is one down.

"Heh, I always thought you were smarter then Usopp, Luffy,"

"HEY! I AM STANDING RIGHT HERE YOU KNOW!"

"But I guess I was wrong. I have always wanted to battle you, Luffy. Face a real challenge. Are you going to make my day?"

"No, but if you go up their, you will have shattered Nami's day and your little relationship."

Zoro gasped.

"What…how…what are you talking about?" he piped up.

"It was so obvious something was going on between you two. I mean, hello! You guys never argued that much…"

"Or with that content…"

"Yeah. And you never even stopped to sneak a look at each other like you normally do."

"WE DO NOT!"

"We have all seen it, Zoro," Usopp squeaked, "She watches you when your training, and you watch her when she is tanning. It is a habit of yours. Can you not feel someone is watching you whenever you lift weights or when you practice a move? And it is obvious she knows you are there because she always stretches by arching her back, or by lying on her side to give you a view of her curves. Or like the time she…"

"It sounds to me like you guys are checking us out! …Hey, you are not watching Nami in a bikini, are you?" he growled very deeply and his eyes looked like he was on the hunt.

Usopp and Chopper screamed.

"Of course not," Luffy reassured, "How can anyone see when you are always moving your position so you can get a better view?"

"I already told you, I DO NOT CHECK OUT NAMI WHEN SHE IS TANNING IN HER BIKINI!"

"So you check her out when she is tanning in a one piece bathing suit?"

"N-NO!"

"Hey, that is a weird choice of wording for a bathing suit." Chopper stated.

"YEAH! That is the name of my treasure! Not Nami's bathing suit!"

"Now that you mention it…"

"CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT NAMI'S SWIM WEAR OR HER TANNING OUTFITS OR…JUST NOT ABOUT HER CLOTHING? PLEASE?"

"Fine, fine," Luffy agreed, "But we would not have to tell ya if you did not watch her all the time."

Before Zoro could get a word in,

"**WHAT?**" was heard from upstairs, making everyone jump out of their skin. The sound of yelling was echoing through the ship, but only emphasized words were made out, "…**_FLIPPED_**…**RIGHT NOW**…**RUSSIA**!"

"…Uh, Russia?"

"Hey guys, what is Russia? And more importantly, why was Sanji yelling about i—"

"AH-CHOO!" Zoro sneezed.

"…"

"…Bless you."

"Oh, I get it now! Sanji wants to hurt Zoro with Russia for hurting Nami!"

"No, LUFFY!" Usopp shouted, "He wants to hurt Zoro by Russia-ing him for hurting Nami."

"You are both wrong," Chopper judged, "Sanji wants to destroy Zoro by using Russia."

"How do you hurt someone with a place?"

"It is not a place, it is a new kick-y move for Sanji."

"NO! It is a canon ball that is made out of diamond!"

"Nu-uh! It is a kick-y move that Sanji used yesterday!"

"Luffy, all Sanji did was kick the wall yesterday after he discovered Nami and Zoro were going-out."

"YEAH! And he was singing a funky song called, 'Jee Nami papas eel! Eel ette lae poise on! Jee ve utle song!'. He was talking in a funny voice, too."

"No, Luffy! He was speaking in french. He said, 'Je n'aime pas il! Il est la grande poisson! Je veut le sang!'. Which means, 'I do not like him! He is a fat fish! I want his blood!'."

"Oh…"

"Well, that makes more sense!"

"But then what is Russia?"

"I think it is a place."

"I still think it is Sanji's new kick-y move, but okay. It is a place."

"We should go visit sometime. Sanji seems to like it. Maybe he will calm down after we go."

"Yeah!"

"But not until we sail the Grand Line and get One Piece so I can be King of the Pirates."

"YEAH!"

"…**_SCUM!_**" Everyone downstairs had another heart attack and collapsed on the floor, "…**_SPECIAL_**…_UGH, _**HE _DISGUSTS _ME!**"

"Well, do I not feel loved?" Zoro spat sarcastically.

"Oh, Zoro, you are sill here."

"He is? Oh, yeah…heh."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'STILL HERE'? WHERE THE HELL CAN I GO WITH LUFFY'S RUBBERY ARM AROUND MY THROAT?"

"Well, we are only doing this for your own good."

"HOW ON EARTH IS THIS FOR MY OWN GOOD?"

"Nami needs to calm down. She needs to let it all out before you approach her."

"Huh…what are you…talking about? She is up there, with CHEF DUMB ASS no less, and you want me to stay HERE?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be about right."

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL? DO YOU HEAR YOURSELVES? YOU JUST SAID POISON BREATH CURSED ME FOR GOING OUT WITH NAMI!"

"So you admit it!"

"THAT IS NOT THE POINT! BECAUSE OF OUR ARGUMENT, HE THINKS WE HAVE BROKEN UP! HE IS PROBABLY THINKING HE CAN GRAB NAMI OFF THE RE…bound…"

Everyone gasped at the realization.

"It…just hurts, Sanji. I mean, I know I was at fault too. But…he just went on and on…"

"You do not think…"

"Sanji would never!…right?"

"I love him, I really do…or did. I do not know. I have experienced so much pain and suffering in my life, I just cannot take it anymore! And for him…to do this to me…I…"

"YEAH HE WOULD! HE IS PROBABLY TRYING TO STEAL HER FROM ME RIGHT NOW!"

"Sanji, do I look impure to you? Do I look like the devil's reincarnation to you? I need to know so I can change for him. I want him…to…really…love me…like I…love…him…"

"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?"

"We should stop him!"

"YEAH!"

"Gee, that is such a great idea, guys! And that plan could have been executed earlier IF I DID NOT HAVE SOMEONE'S ARM HUGGING MY NECK!"

"Oh yeah, sorry Zoro! AIEEEEE!"

"Never mind that now! I promise I will not kill you if we get to her on time! MOVE, COME ON!"

"RIGHT!"

"Nami, he you have to change for him, then he is not for you. The man you end up with should love you for who you are, no matter what. If you think you have to change for Zoro, then he is no where near what you need. Nami, I see you are suffering. And let me just say I am so sorry."

"HMPH!" Nami grunted as she stomped up, "I do not need your pity! I am A grown woman, you know! I can survive on my own and I am just fine! It does bug me a little, but I am sure once I talk to him, I—EIKKKKK!" Nami was cut short by Sanji embracing her for the second time that evening.

"S-Sanji! Let go of me this instant!

'_Almost there!_' Zoro thought as he gripped the handle of one of his swords. The last staircase climb was almost half over, '_Nami, please be strong! Wait for me, I am so sorry! Just wait, damn it!'_

!

"Nami, let me hold you. Just once. You need to know I am here for you and you need comfort. Just for a little while, please." His grip on her back tightened ever so slightly for a few moments to make his point more meaningful.

Nami was just stunned. She was so confused. She knew Sanji was just being a good friend, but she felt even worse letting him hold her like he did. Only Zoro was permitted to have her in his arms, and he only used that opportunity once before. She wanted to make Sanji let go and them slap him across the face for his boldness. And yet…she knew he was right. She was a ripped up rag doll and Sanji was hoping to restore her to her former glory. She felt alone until he had approached her earlier. And he was right, she felt a little better once she got some things off her chest. She felt she owed him something. And she used to hug him all the time.

So, why not, right?

After a five more seconds flying by, she felt fear, regret and guilt rise within her.

'_Zoro, I need you! Please, come get me! Be the man I know you are and get him off me! I do not want to hurt or reject him, but I…feel so wrong! I am so confused! Please, I beg you, come get me!_'

No sooner after her wish did she hear the sound of shoes clanking on the deck get louder and louder until they came to a halt. Nami looked up and sighed at relief to see her wish come true. But any happiness went away once she saw his face.

_But I'm not leaving 'til it's all over_

Zoro looked…no words could describe it. The only thing Nami could interpret was a hard feeling she knew for sure they now shared; heart break. Her heart was still sore from the fight they had had, but it broke once again from the look in his eyes. He looked like a child staring death in the face. And sadly, there was no way to avoid saying it, but he did look…dead in her eyes.

His body, which was in a fighting position when he first arrived at the scene, now hung loose, as if he wanted to be struck. His guard was surely down. He did not even look like he cared. His arms were limp at his sides and his legs were loosened from the fighting stance into a beggar's kneel. And after staring at him for so long like that, Nami could not take it and pushed Sanji away. He apparently had not heard anyone's steps on the hardwood floor because the whole crew was at the scene now and gasping.

_We had our problems but I'm on your side  
You're all I need_

Sanji's head turned to look at the girl, then to where her eyes were transfixed. Once he caught sight of 'la poisson', he just groaned and looked in the other direction. Nami, however, pushed Sanji to the side gently and reached a hand out to her, she feared, soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.

_Let me show you…_

"Z-Zoro…are you…oka—…"

His chuckle stopped her sentence. He continued to chuckle quite like a mad man for a little before turning to his crew, now ignoring Nami and Sanji.

"See? What did I tell ya? I knew this would happen. I cannot believe though that I was stupid enough to give it a chance!"

"Zoro…" Nami tried to calm him, but he continued,

"I mean, hello! It is Nami, after all! How can anyone ever trust her? Especially with the biggest pervert in the world? Man, I actually admit it; I am stupid."

"Zoro, come on now. You do not mean it. Let me…"

"Oh but you see Nami, I do," he was talking to her in a tone she had never heard before, and it honestly scared her, "I actually am stupid. But you are probably talking to the part where I was referring to you. Well, you have to admit, by now, what else can I think of you? Oh boy, I cannot believe…So, I guess our fling is over now, right? Well, yeah, it was fun."

"NO! Zoro, it was not…"

"Do not even try to pull that shit with me, Nami," his growling no longer held its usual effect. Nami was frightened from the sound now, "I do not trust you. I never will again! I mean, you even let him! If we had not come right now, you would probably…wait, that is right. Sorry, we are interrupting you, are we not?"

"N—"

"Yes, you are, you mad man!" Sanji butted in.

"SANJI!"

"No no, he is right Nami. We are sorry. Truly we are. Come on guys, we have to go back downstairs. Oh wait, do you two want it? I can buff out up here. Or are you planning on reenacting our time together with him, Nami? Just to rub it in my face? Well, that is fine with em because I am over this fling. I just hope your next million last longer. Good bye!"

And he was out of there faster than he had ever moved in his life.

! Later, In Zoro's Chambers… !

True men do not cry. They can fight off any problem with a laugh or fight on. They do not need to feel sad or heart broken because true men can get any girl they want! And of course, that rule applied to Zoro! Just look at him, listen to his voice. Any girl would be eternally happy with him!

…Then why are his eyes full of tears right now? Of course, he would not let them out. Nor would he let out a cough or intake a sharp breath. He could breathe normally and see just fine. But he did not feel fine at all. It was true, his heart was broken. Shattered as much as one's heart can be. And for good reason!

Zoro never got close to anyone his entire life. It was too risky to be side tracked from training and it is harder to protect then defend. Plus, he was afraid. After what happened to Kuina, his one true friend, he could not risk another upset like that. And when he first heard of love, after Kuina's time, he decided it was just like getting close to someone, like a friend. Another, even bigger, risk he was not going to take. After all, a true man knows when to fight and when it is pointless. 

Yet he let Nami into his heart. It did not take a lot of work, really. She was the first girl who actually was willing to argue with him and beat him! She interested him. He found her amusing and fun to have around. Especially on one of those days when you need a good laugh. And even though at first she did not seem like it, she was a good crewmate and friend to have around.

These were his real thoughts, yet he had said those horrible things to her again. Twice in one day, he had broken her. And he realized that fact half way through his rant of hurt. That was when he figured that he had to end it. He could not bare to hurt her anymore. If he was going to continue as her boyfriend, then all he would ever do is hurt her. And that was wrong. He knew that if you care for someone, you love them and show them you care, not hurt them and watch them die. But that was what he had done. He had not only hurt her, but he was the cause of her death and he watched her drown right before his eyes.__

…So what, right? She hurt him first! She broke him too! He should not be the only one feeling guilty or hurt! She was…duping him! She lied to him when she said it was not a fling for her! Obviously, it was! Why else would she hug Sanji like that, and continue to hug him while he was still standing there? The pain he feels should be transferred to her like blood!

Well, what was done was done. It was too late to go back and change anything. And he felt he got his point across. But what kind of bed had he made for himself? He was cruel to Nami in front of the whole crew! Plus, he acted like a drunkard and broke up with his girl. Their relationship was over, his friends would act different around him and Sanji would try to rub his new found power in poor Zoro's face. It was then he understood; he now lost his companions and friends. Nami was a lost cause in his eyes, but Luffy, Usopp and Chopper…

"DAMN YOU!" he cursed as twisted his head, trying to make the painful feelings and thoughts leave his body. But they would not lave or cease. They continued to burn. A few tears went flying from the toss of his head and he did not care. Now, nothing, not even his honor or pride mattered to him. He let it go.

He did not even want to leave his room now. He never wanted to see any of those people again. Especially her! She ruined his life. She destroyed the love and home he had while she got to prance around carefree. None of them looked at her differently. They all felt bad for her and now were even better friends with her then before. But now he had to deal with the acquired tension that awaited him tomorrow and the rest of his life. Argh, how he wish he could just escape it all.

That was when an idea popped into his head.

_They say you can't take it with you when you go  
And I believe it_

Yes, the answer to his problem! He could no longer bear the thought of having to face the horrid silence he would have to stare down for the rest of their trip. So, why not abandon the whole thing all together? He would never have to see her again. And he would not have to be on guard all the time. And he could finally go back to pursuing his one goal in life; to become the world's greatest swordsman!

He remembered once being told by Usopp about a life boat in the storage room. He had never seen a use for it, same with the rest of the crew, so he would not be surprised if no one ever noticed its disappearance. So he decided. After waiting until two a.m., he snuck into the storage room and carried the boat effortlessly up the stairs. Nothing else really matters when you cannot care for or feel anything anymore. And as he reached the deck, he searched around to make sure Nami had not come up here in the morning again.

No, she was not up yet.

For some reason this made him sigh with relief, but also despair. However, he let it slide. He just needed to get out of there.

As he approached the side of the boat, he knew he had to be quick. Once the boat made its splash in the water, he would have to get away fast or else the crew would catch him. And could defiantly not have that! So he counted: On 3…2…1…GO!

_But taking what I got or being here with you_

He had no idea what direction he was going in or where he was headed, he just saluted the S.S. Merry Go and turned his head. The whole trip, he did not look back. Not once.

_You know I, I'd rather leave it_

We had our life, we had our love  
But you don't know what you got 'til you lose it  
Well that was then and this now  
And I want you back  
How many times can I say I'm sorry?  
(How many times…?)  
Ooh, yes, I'm sorry  
Sorry…  
Well you know…

You can run, and you can hide  
But I'm not leaving unless you come with me  
We've had our problems but I'm on your side  
You're all I need  
Please believe me

You can run, and you can hide  
But I'm not leaving 'til it's all over

To Roronoa Zoro, it was over.

_We had our problems but I'm on your side  
You're all I need  
Please believe in me_

(Song: Phil Collins-Something Happened On the Way To Heaven)

**! AUTHOR SHOUT-OUTS !**

Mew05: LoL! I'm glad you likd da pic! I tried my best to let you picture his muscles as well as I can! but sadly for da both of us, der is no real photo of dat…TT One day, when I enhance my drawin skillz, ill b sure 2 draw my vision and send u a copy, kk? THX

**nicol-ice: **well gee, Im glad u like my story! I cn tell by da review u got an account, but I will foreva yell at u! It is calld da circle of life, DUDE! Use da brain u claim God gave you! (**NOTE:** dis guy is my friend in da real world!)

**Kgmck-117:** Thxies! I hope u likd dis 1 2!

**kiwi wings:** aww, really? Not evn a lil? I mean, he was just caught da spur of da moment! He only wantd 2 speed up da argument so night could cum and…o, sry! Children mite b here! Neva mind! But u noe, rit? Anywoo, I think Nami made up 4 it in dis chapter (evn if it wuz by accident), dunt u? THX

**gothywolfie: **…uh, gothy, dis chapter is y it all makes sense 00'…unless u wer able 2 predict dis, not 2 b mean, but u did not make sense. But dat's kk! Cuz now u noe da truth! REMEMBER: he left cuz she broke his heart! NOW it all makes sense! THX

** (): **U R SO0O0O0O RITE! Der should b more! U should makin dese fics if u like em so much! Evn if der a one-shot, I bet dey b kool! THX

**Ji11129: **well, im glad I could make u glad! And hopefully, this update made u glad 2! THX

Well, dat's all 4 now! Keep on reviewin and Ill keep on ritin!

**NEXT CHAPTER: **Beck to the letters we go! YEAH!


	11. Anxiety BackFire

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

She awaited his response with anxiety swimming through her stomach. She was unsure why she had written her letter the way she did. She assumed it was her style. Nami preferred her man to be smart, but she enjoyed dropping hints. And she hinted to him a few things. First off, she wanted to hear, or read, him say, or write, that with the impression he still had of her in his mind, he still found her attractive and lovely. Because she still saw him as strong, courageous and hot. And of course, she loved his wit.

Then there was the factor of saying she was single, just like him. The day she had written her last letter to him, she had taken a nap and had a 'flashback-dream' of the night he left. She kept seeing the look of pure fear and hurt that he had shown her in front of everyone. Then, he blew everything out of proportion because he made an incorrect assumption and left. He did not even say good-bye to her. He broke up with her, waited until she was asleep and left. That was why she was so confused and distraught when she discovered his address. She could not let him get away without burning in the same flames he had thrown her into.

And last but not least, she admitted, in a strange way, one unknown to her, that no matter what had happened between them, she loved him. And she would continue to love him even if she ever got married or had kids. She would take her love for him to her grave and never let go. She wanted him. That was all there was to it. But…she would not go after him. She sent letters to him and once threatened she would visit him, but it was a lie. She did not have what it took to chase Zoro. The only thing in the world she chased after was money and treasure. Because it is just inanimate objects, nothing that can turn you away.

She knew he would have a strong comment to say in return. She could feel it. She had an anxious group of butterflies dancing the limbo in her gut that would not subside. But she did not know if she felt excited or nervous. All she knew was that WhipLash was headed her way with another one of her Romeo's letters and she was dying as she waited for its little wings to move faster.

That day, an anxious Nami received a letter. It read:

Nami,

HOW DARE YOU!

I sacrificed so much so you and that bony-ass bastard could have a life together!

But, NO!

Nami has to have everything and everyone!

I bet even Usopp got a free trip around the world.

Maybe even Chopper!

Am I right?

I got to be!

There is no way that you just toyed with me for no reason!

See, I figured you out!

You have to always be in charge or hell breaks loose.

So, one by one you took over our minds!

Right?

Geez, how low can you go?

…It was obvious it took him some time to come up with the next thing to say. There was squiggles on the next line for about two centimeters…

…Why did it have to be me then?

Sanji loved you, why not start with him?

It could have given me a chance to run or defend myself.

I guess it was very unmanly of me to be lose to a girl, eh?

Guess I'm not your ideal guy anymore.

That is fine with me!

I do not want you to keep that picture of me if you are going to use it as a dart board or for witch voodoo, so you might as well throw it out.

Thanks for making me feel and look stupid again, Nami!

It is one of your Satan given talents!

From,  
Zoro

…And all Nami did after she finished reading was cry.

**!**

Letters r bak!

Check these out, cumin soon 2 fan fiction near u:

**Fushigi Yuugi: **_Life As It Is_  
(**02/11/06-02/12/06**)

**Fruits Basket:**_Believe In Me _  
(**02/11/06**)

THX!

Ja ne!


	12. Understanding The Truth Behind His Life

**_One Piece: _**

**Words From The Heart**

Zoro wanted WhipLash to get beck as soon as he could. He really wanted to see what Nami had in store for him now. He had said that to her because he knew it would provoke her, but toward what he did not know. Would she cry? Maybe. Would she get mad a rip it up? There was no doubt. But what would she say in response? Oh, Zoro could only imagine.

And he really couldn't care. He wanted Nami to get upset. She ruined his life, so why shouldn't she feel bad? There was no way any of this could be pinned on him. He left for her and gave up everything for…No, he had said it enough. He wasn't going to hurt because of the past anymore. All he could say was He changed everything for her and she didn't want it. So, nothing else mattered, right?

Except what she had to say in response. Which was what WhipLash and SkyRide were carrying together. Seeing the two birds like that, however, sent a ping of pain into his heart for a moment. Because he wanted to be like that with 'her highness' once, but that was a long lost dream ago. BUt it also struck him as odd. Why did she send both?

That day, Roronoa Zoro received a letter that would now change everything he knew once again. It read:

Dear Zoro:

That is it!

I am sick of this crap!

I am going all out now.

I want to know right here, right now, once you finish reading, you will respond with a honest heart-felt answer to this question:

What are you so afraid of?

You told me once before that you're not, but I know you are lying.

This just like the night before you left, remember?

You looked at me like a child looking death in the face.

You looked at me how all your victims looked at you.

Then, you went crazy, fueled by anger, and did anything you could to hurt me.

It was because you were hurt and afraid.

You were afraid that you had lost me for good.

That you had broken.

That it was over.

I bet that if no one else had been there at that moment but you, you would have ran away sooner and cried.

Because you can't handle it.

You act like a man, but you aren't.

No one can act like that all the time and be satisfied.

Because everyone, once in a while the least, needs to cry.

And you always said, "Men don't cry."

That is unhealthy Zoro.

So I want you to cry.

I admit I was trying to get you to cry because I wanted you to.

For my own satisfaction and to help you.

But now, you really need to let it out before you poison anything and everything in your life.

That's why when you respond to this letter, tell me what you are afraid of.

Because now, you need to let it go and let me know what it is.

Because then, maybe then, I can see you again.

Love,

Nami

Suddenly, as if that was all he ever needed, he understood. He was confused, and now he understood. A ray of light from heaven had come down and shown him which path to take at that moment. He knew now what had been bothering him and why he needed to get away and why he wanted to talk to her. Because now he knew exactly why he was afraid. And being a man, he would oblige to her request and tell her in his next letter.

!  
Hmm, interestin…oui?

PLZ READ **"Life As It Is"**, MY **FUSHIGI YUUGI **FIC!  
U **DUNT **EVN HALFTA **NOE** DA SHOW **2 READ**!

**_PLZ!_**


	13. His Fearing Burden

**_  
One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

To her, this was it. This was what everything came down to. Their letters, their trust and care, their relationship. His answer could save or destroy the very thing that matter most to her _and_ him. This was all _they_ had left. And she knew, with his one-track mind, there was no 'in the middle' business. They either now got to be with each other, or they had to break it off. Nami knew she could not handle another heartache from the man of her dreams. Or should she say nightmare. Because dreams are the pleasant ones, nightmares traumatize you.

To say she was shaken up was the worst observation anyone could ever make. Nami couldn't stand, her knees were too busy wobbling. She wouldn't even try to hold anything, her nervous hands would just drop it. And as she sat, she played with her hair, straightened her shirt, bit her nails, anything to make it seem like she was not waiting on him and just hanging out. Though anyone with eyes, or hears, could tell in a second she was full of fear.

This emotion or whatever you wanted to call it, seemed to appear so much in her life whenever he came into the picture. Maybe it was because of that comment he made the night of the 'Kappu -vs. -Swirlz showdown' took place. The one where he teased, as clear as day,

'_"Just as you said, I am Roronoa Zoro! I can get any girl I want. I could spend the night with any girl, dump them in the morning and they would still follow me until the end of time. Do not go thinking you are something special."_'

What did that mean? She had spent the 'free-from-anxiety' time of her life trying to figure it out. Behind everything you say, there is always a reason. Even if it's just a 'hn' or 'whatever', there is always a reason as to why you said it. Even if you can't figure it out, the reason is there. Sometimes, it takes other people to help you find it, which is okay. But it is suppose to be your reason to discover, not someone else's. And that was Nami's problem. He obviously knew, but she had no clue! It drove her crazy just letting a thought about it pop into her head. Oh, if she ever saw him again…

…sighing, she really thought about it. With a clear mind, she pondered. …Well, really, she had two situations in mind. She would run into his arms, cry for a bit then slap him hard across the face with as much strength as her smaller body could muster, just to see a mark of pain on his face. Or she would run up to him and slap him so hard, his body flinched and turned, then she would hug him. She had to admit, no matter what hell she had been through, he certainly put her through the ringer. But that didn't mean she didn't miss his smile and his laugh. Or the sight of his aqua thin hair and his broad sweaty strong muscles. She missed it all. But she also knew the next she saw him, if she ever did, even in another lifetime, she would burst into tears with just one gleam of the sun off his earring.

She didn't know why she had it so bad. Maybe because stealing was such a sin, she was having karma's fullest effect on her. But wasn't her childhood punishment enough? Was the fact that her parents were killed in front of her eyes as a toddler not enough? Or Bellemere's death and the capture of her soul by Arlong just mosquito bites; they were painful, but went away in time. If that was the case, then where was karma's reasoning behind all of it? She was just an innocent little girl with a happy life. Was that a crime at the time? Then as she grew, because her life changed, so did the state of informality. Meaning stealing became a crime in replacement of sweetness.

Life was to confusing to continuously give a damn.

That included the small scroll only SkyRide had in her tiny claw from her treasure keeper.

That day, Nami received the one word response she expected to get all along. The small scroll held the word, in black then ink:

**You**

So, what else could one do other than show the same respect back?

Hope u likd!

R&R!


	14. What Do You Think of Her Now?

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

He stretched and yawned. He was calm and cool. He was sprawled out over his bed as he stared up at the ceiling, just awakening from most repeated pastimes; napping. His mind was blank and calm. Nothing seemed to bother the Santoryuu-style swordsman from his peaceful state. In fact, if anyone happened to just glance into his window, they would assume he was just as happy as a pig in poop. But if you actually took the time stare closer at the said man, you would notice his upside down smile quivering and his bold eyes squinting as delicately as a shriveling flower.

Yes, it was true. It had happened yet again. His heart had been scorned. He was not sure exactly how, but when things beat down his failing-to-be-properly heart. For it was filled with foreboding. He also dawned on him that being the world's smartest man could have its backfires, which he now burned in.

He knew the whole time that writing letters to a lost love could only end in misery. She only spoke to him because he wanted to keep a hold of her treasure. Though now, after his recent response, it seemed pointless to hold on to. Because he knew 'Spunky' was now ready to kill. She defiantly had blood lust for him and all he could do was wonder what would happen if they ever encountered each other on the planet Earth ever again.

He knew he what he would do. Well, he used to anyway. He would approach her slowly and place a hand on her shoulder. Nami always got goose-bumps when he touched her shoulder, he felt them, and never ran from the feel of him hold. Once he examined her hair, he would stare for as long as he could into her hot fudge eyes, just regain the sense of life within his heart. Finally, he would crush her into his body and…honestly, he would most likely cry for joy. Or should it be said, _cried_ for joy. Because now, that vision was gone and it was replaced with a giant white blank, like a piece of parchment waiting to be used.

He also knew Nami would cry, too. She would be crying after his letter to her last. Or at least, he hoped. If she did, that meant she still cared about him. Plus, if she did, she would get all her anger and pain out and they would have gotten over the largest mountain in their way. It had to have been done. She asked him a serious question and he answered truthfully. Really, it cleared many road blocks hat wanted to stop them. Because now she knew how he truly felt, and she could now open up to him. They could share with each other, get closer with one another and maybe one day, not someday, soon, they could return each other's treasures face to face.

But…all thoughts of happiness had been draining again for the enticed man. He had lost count now how many days it had been since he sent his last letter. Maybe even weeks! Time seemed to be a losing factor for him as it just went on and on and on and on. Even though he is the manliest man of all, he was beginning to have many doubts about this relationship they had now and it…should he say, frightened him. If it was to end, that meant all the recent heartache they had had to endure was meaningless and had no positive result in the future. Life rendered meaningless.

But he knew why. Because he knew everything. She had taken what he said to the heart. Which she should, so they could reconstruct the second stage in their relationship. They needed to try again, to get past this. He had formed his own secret road block, just to test her. If she gave up and went around it instead of facing her fear, then really, all the longing and sadness they had been feeling was just as meaningless as the hoping of a bright future once these letters began to reassure happiness again. Which he knew he could.

However, if she did not accept his challenge, then there would no longer be anything to fight for.

That was his last thought as he let go of a heavy sigh. The sight of SkyRide smoothed his ruffled fur.

That day, after Zoro exited his mental-emotional roller-coaster, he received 'Spunky's' letter.

It read:

Dear Zoro:

I know I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace  
When I stand here thinking about our days, I know  
You are the only one who really cared for me at all

How could you just run away from me?  
Destroying the seeds we began to weave  
I wanted to share it all, the fun, the laughter and pain  
I thought you really cared for me, but I was wrong

So what do you think of me now?  
Between us, there's a vacant space  
All I've got to remind me of you  
Is the treasure you offered; a fake  
What do you think of me now?  
All I know is our vacant space  
I knew you coming back to me was against all odds  
But it was chance I'd die to take

I wish, that night, you'd've turned around  
Come back to me and let us try  
There was so many things I'd have said to you  
To ease your fear inside  
I thought you cared for me, but I see I was wrong

So what do you think of me now?  
Between us, there's a vacant space  
What reminds me of the old you is the look of that night's hurt face  
I tried to halt us, but it hurt me and you and I'm left here in my lone place  
What do you think of me now?  
For eternity, I'll be here  
I know you coming back to me is against all odds  
But I just grabbed a chance to take

What do you think of me now?

…Then Zoro, following the arrow at the bottom of the page, flipped the letter over…

I started it with a poem, I am ending it with a song.

From, Yours Truly,  
Nami

"…So, is this our end?"

-!-

**What do _u_ think?**

R and R!

**P.S.** da original song is "Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)" by Phil Collins (yes, I like his songs!) I re-wrote it 4 Nami!

Ja ne!


	15. Well, What Do You Know? Strike One

**_  
One Piece:_**

**Words From The Heart**

Surprisingly, Nami received a response to her 'end-of-penpal' letter the following week thanks to WhipLash. It read:

Dear Nami:

You know what?

Shockingly, you don't own me.

You don't control me.

Meaning, I can do as I please.

So, if I want to continue our letter exchange, I WELL AS HELL WILL!

Even if you don't respond.

'Cause we have sacrificed too much to just let it end now.

Especially you.

I know you're hurt and upset, but for both our sakes':

GET

OVER

IT!

You need to build up your heart again, not the wall around it.

I know you've been weakened by everything that's happened to you in life,

including me,

but you can't just runaway and end everything.

Believe me, I know from experience, it is the WORST move you could ever make!

Besides, you only set yourself up for something like this when you requested my response in the first place.

So cry.

Sulk.

Scream.

Hell, even kick a tree if you want.

Just let all your feelings out now.

Because you called me out Nami.

You once said you could handle anything I can serve up.

Well, to me, it seems you can't.

What happened to spunky Nami?

Or is it I just get the cold treatment?

And notice I haven't asked you for anyone else's address?

I haven't questioned you about the others at all?

It's because you are number one on my priority list.

And it will forever stay that way.

We cannot meet because of this.

If we stab each other in the heart like this in letters, can you imagine in person?

No, I bet neither of us even wants to begin imagining that situation.

So this is why I avoid any physical contact with you.

Get it now?

At first, you wanted us to meet so badly, I was almost ready to bend.

But then I discovered you didn't use the opportunity I gave you to any extent.

I don't even know how any of you really ended up.

To the extent of my knowledge, you could be using some random pidgin for delivery and using thrown away parchment and ink.

Or you could just as likely be using your own feather pen with rare ink on new parchment in a nice fancy home that sits on a hill, facing the sea.

There could be a medium to that, but I bet you preferred the second one, right?

Heh, that would be the old you.

The you I'll never see again.

I think I've said enough for now.

I guess I'll just wait for you to reply.

At least now we're getting more talky.

From, Yours Truly:  
Roronoa Zoro

P.S. Even if you don't respond, you won't get rid of me that easily! Face up to it!

"…Well well well, I see God finally bestowed him with a backbone." Nami snickered as she dropped the letter to the floor, grabbed her jacket and left her comfy safe home…

* * *

NEW ZoNa STORY! 

**Truly For You, My Only Prince Charming!**  
**Tuesday March 21, 2006!**

**Check IT!**

Ja ne!


	16. Matters, Strike Two

**_One Piece:_**

Words From The Heart

"DAMN IT ALL! WHAT THE HELL?" the aqua-green hair swordsman growled as he ruffled his hair with his hands.

"A month…It's been a month! WHAT THE HELL CAN BE SO IMPORTANT THAT IT TAKES SOMEONE A WHOLE FREAKIN' MONTH TO RESPOND TO ONE FRIGGIN' LETTER?"

He had tried to anger her with his letter, sort of challenging her, so she would try to prove him wrong and answer him. Because he did not believe for on millisecond that it was over. No way in the highest heights of heaven or in the deepest depths of hell. For all the risks they had taken and for how many times he had pointed that out already, she wasn't going to just quit. She was to strong willed to give up without a fight.

Or at least, that's what he remembered, wanted to believe and assumed.

"Why's it always gotta be me to take action?" He sighed roughly as he stomped up and made his way to his desk, "…What can I say to her now?"

Sighing, he sat down in his wooden chair and staring at the tan brown platform in front of him.

Thinking…

Wondering…

Trying…

After ten minutes of nothing, he yanked his pen out of its cap and began scribbling scribbles over the long scroll of parchment that hung on his desk.

"WHY IS THIS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER?" he growled, clenching both the pen and paper.

Wasn't he the one who openly admitted he was afraid? Wasn't he the one who proved how hard this was, yet stuck with it? So, was she able to speak the truth, hurt him and not have to care? But when he tried the same, he had to pay for his words? Punished for his 'crime'? How in the world does that make any sense?

"That's what I want you to tell me…" he stared at the blank paper he had found, as if asking it for the answer.

! **_Later, that night…_** !

"Go, WhipLash!" Zoro ordered the bird as he swung the arm the pidgin was perched on. His dark, strong eyes watched the little animal until he was too blinded by the setting sun to continue his stare. After rubbing the color blotches away, he walked sluggishly over to his bed and dropped onto the mattress. He closed his eyes and inhaled heavily. Time seemed to move too slow for his liking. Especially when he was waiting even more so for a response from his former shipmate.

_Two._

Two letters now. If they didn't raise a reaction from her…

"…What would be the point anymore? To anything, really?" he wanted his question answered by something other than the wind creeping in through his opened window.

"But knowing Nami as well as I have for the past little while," he spoke out loud once more, "she ain't gonna give a flippin' damn. Arg, if I ever see that girl again, I'll…"

Yeah, this was bugging him even more then any other letter given or received. And his penpal wasn't even doing anything!

To occupy his time in a better manor, he chose to do a behavior check. He decided he would review the letter WhipLash had, to see if he would offend her or something. Sort of like editting his work. It might have been smarter to do that while he had it in his possession, but he just…had to get it to her as soon as possible, you know?

That evening, Nami would be receiving a letter which read:

Dear Nami:

All right, what's up?

Are you planning on visiting me and you don't know your way?

No that can't be it. You are the number one navigator in the world.

Are you visiting Luffy or one of the others?

…Maybe. That's a more likely possibility, but it just doesn't put my mind at ease.

…Are you avoiding me?

Yes! That one fits the bill.

But could you at least care to share why?

I mean, I know you ended our little exchange, for reasons that confuse me, but all your doing is turning this sad story sour.

Who really gives a damn if your sulking?

I thought I told you to get that out of the way already.

You don't have to listen to me, but all your doing is hurting yourself.

And since I don't see you anymore, why should I care, right?

Well sorry to disappoint you princess, but I still do.

I

still

CARE!

SO FACE UP!

You can't get rid of me that easily, precious!

I know you'll scoff at that part, but I've changed.

I see you have to, but in all the wrong ways.

But that doesn't mean I'm ditching you.

Now, I am only going to say…write this once, so pay attention:

THIS

IS 

YOUR

SECOND

STRIKE!

I am not going to put up with this much longer.

If you test my patience too long,

I

will

be

taking

matters

into

my

own 

hands

however

I

See

fit!

From, Honestly Truly:  
Roronoa Zoro

! !

…Nah, that letter was perfect. No mistakes at all. And he was serious with every word. They were all words from his heart, so they shouldn't be taken lightly.

Because if he had to write one more letter and still got nothing, he seriously would be taking a stand and doing what he knew he should have done all along.

He just decided to give her a chance of defense before he planned to strike.


	17. Strike Three, Game Change

**_One Piece:_**

**Words From The Heart**

Almost two months. Since he had last contacted her, I mean. The young swordsman had begun to give up hope. He had tried to assert his assertiveness and authority over her, because he knew he turned her on when he acted manly, but it didn't seem to work. It was beginning to annoy him. As it has been pointed out many times before, Zoro was not willing to allow all this emotional torment to be in vein. Why on Earth would he sit at peace for years after then contact her for a few weeks, which drove him crazy to communicate with her but not to hear or see her, and let it all be for nothing.

Rornoa Zoro doesn't not waste a second of life.

Well, that could've been known as the turth two months ago! It's not like he was so desperate that he sat in his room every waking moment, staring out his window in the western direction, hoping to see a small pidgin carrying a peachy-cream tinted letter. He still went on training trips and journeys, but they weren't as long and exciting as before. He would always shorten them to be home within a few days, really believing a reply would be resting on his window sill or on his desk.

He always left his window open so SkyRide could always have access to his room. WhipLash actually came by for the first little while, almost as if delivering letters had become his soul purpose and was trained to always do so. But since Zoro never had anything for his little pal, all he would do is gently pat him on the head, as gentle as _his_ hands could, and murmur, "No sorry, not today."

It was obvious to him the smaller lifeform was becoming annoyed with no way to help his friend, so his visits became less persistant and then he stopped showing at all. His silver wings sometimes caught 'the demon's' eye, but only when he happened to glimpse him in sky delivering someone else's letters. And he would always think to himself, '_I guess he's found someone else to serve._' That thought always made him ponder about the original relationship that caused his attachment with his feathery friend.

Maybe he was right when he said those three words to her, or written.

'_…**You've moved on**…_'

He had considered it many times, always trying to agree with another possibililty though, and finally, he faced his fear. He concluded,

'_…**She's moved on**…_'

It still didn't make sense to him. That could be the reason why she abruptly stopped their exchange, her 'counter-part' found the letters and told her to knock it off. He thought, '_I know what it feels like to have that untrust, only I couldn't do anything about it…If I could've, I would've stopped it too…_' Yet, if that was the reason why, then why had she had contacted him in the first place? If she had a boyfriend, or even a fiance or husband, why would she even send him a letter to him at all? Containing what it had said, too? He knew Nami was sneaky and acted cold-hearted, but she wasn't anything as Arlong described her.

She wasn't a cold-hearted witch woman.

And he knew that as a fact.

So what on Earth could be her reasoning behind her letters in the first place? It now seemed the all knowing man had lost his authority in the end, for it had slowly begun to leak from the beginning. All that was left to do was…

"Strike three, Nami. This little game of yours is done. It's all mine now. And you are gonna lose."

**

* * *

Author's Notes:**

I KNOW! I havn't updated in 4eva! But I just didn't noe wut 2 do 4 dis filla chapter!

**Blieve me! **If you LUVD da beginning and flashback: **WAIT TIL U C DA NEXT TWO-THREE CHAPTERS!**

**Keep on reviewin and I'll keep writin!**

**Ja ne!**

**Jiki-out! PcEz!**


	18. Six Equals the Results of the 3 Strikes

_**One Piece: ** _

**Words From The Heart**

She awoke angelically as the sun graced her skin. Her arms rose slowly above her head as her back arched forward. Her eyelids released their squinting pressure, allowing her to gaze out her window. She smiled at the sight of a clear sky-blue sky and the happy people who lived within the walls of the same city as her. She was really happy with where she was in life and loved her friends and 'family' even more. As her smile grew from the thought, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." She called lightly while placing on her white silky robe.

The door opened to reveal a blonde mop of hair and a shining smile.

"Good morning, Nami-san." His monotone voiced said calmly.

"Morning, Sanji-kun," the ending suffix had been added over the years of friendship they had shared, "How are you today?"

"I'm doing well, thanks. I just came to remind you about the group picnic today. I also brought you over some breakfast." She had noted the wrapped up tray in his hand once he had completely stepped into the room. He now resided on a sofa-like chair in the corner of her plain white space.

"Of course. I could never forget today's plans. And thank you Sanji-kun for continuously looking out for me." She gave him a genuine Nami smile, which had become more frequent after she had given up on…him.

Yes, it's true. Nami had decided that Zoro was a lost cause and that calling on him just ruined any chance they may have had. So she had stopped their exchange, as it has become known as, almost half a year ago. Nami had felt completely stupid for begin it in the first place for the first little while and became angry with herself. She had once tried to hurt herself, purposely, because she was so frustrated and she wanted all her hurt and pain to vanquish, but Sanji had caught her just in time. She had struggled, but he saved her from making a big mistake. And he never looked at her differently afterward either. She was grateful to him. He was a good friend.

"It is no trouble at all, Nami-san. I've told you that a million times. Now, I'll leave you alone to eat your breakfast while I finish preparing the food for today," he requested while bringing her her fancy meal, "I hope you don't mind but because I didn't want to stall your breakfast, I was unable to make any finishing touches."

"Oh no, of course you can! I'm sorry for troubling you like this…"

"It's alright, alright? I'm just going to use your stove for something and then I'm done. One last dish and I'll be ready to go. I'll wait for you--"

"No, it's okay. I'm sure Robin's waiting for you anyway. Once you're done, you can head on down to her and I'll meet you there, okay?"

He looked at her suspiciously, as if not believing her. She noticed this and held up her hands in defense.

"I promise. Besides, you prepared so much delicious food for me, it'll take me awhile to eat it all and I don't want to delay your fun. Or upset Robin…"

"…Well, if you say so." And with that, he retreated into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves on the way, and closed the door behind him.

Nami let a held breath go and unwrapped her meal. Sanji always made the meals he prepared for her look like they were from a five-star restaurant, but always had room to add a sliver of a tangerine. Even though it was just a piece of her favourite fruit, the thought of it continued to keep her happy. Even if that was one of those tiny little things she had to make her smile.

Her expression had faltered now as she began to spoon feed herself some rice. As hard as she tried, the thoughts of that letter exchange always seemed to relate to something that was currently occurring in life. Which always made Nami…sad. Maybe it was because she coward away from Zoro when she felt things were getting to intense and felt stupid for being so weak, even more so in front of him. Or possibly because she was curious as to what could've been, what would've happened to them instead of wasting her life away…Maybe because she still missed him.

He was her true love, she knew it. He was connected to her spiritually whether he wanted to be or not. He was what kept her going, the thought of him mocking her, edging her to go on. When she was going to harm herself, she thought of that as a negative thing, but now it was all there was. Even if she was the most miserable person in the world, she would continue living until the day she was destined to die just to prove to him she was strong. Even though she was afraid to continue their relationship, she had many others of other kinds and she valued them greatly. She would not give in to him, even if her insides ached from doing so.

The thought of seeing him was a long lost dream now and Nami knew waiting for such a day would just hurt her to the point of inhumanity. She sometimes let her mind wander, but knew it was pointless to consider such a thing. It was utterly stupid now to continue the story known as "Nami's life" since there was nothing exciting to live for, but she would not quit. Then everything she had ever worked hard for, like freedom from Arlong or letting the horrid illness take her away, would've been pointless and she would've chosen then to die. Nothing now could cause her to do something as crazy as kill herself. She had family friends now and they were her reason for living.

They needed her, loved her, cared for her. Sanji had explained to her after his heroic rescue that if she died, especially by her own hand, the group would go into chaos and all of them would suffer greatly without her spunky lifestyle to make them smile. She had found that as unfair, since it should be her choice to do what she wanted. Them making her feel guilty and making her feel bad wasn't fair. She deserved better comfort then that. Life just seemed to be a big unnecessary blur for her now…

"Nami-san," the chef's voice made her lift her head to see the male in the house's peeking through a cracked open door, "I'm done. I'll be heading out now."

"Okay," she smiled a small smile, "I'll see you later, alright?"

"Sure. But," he looked down at her food and stepped into the room, not looking too assured or pleased, "if you continue eating at that pace, you'll never get out of this room."

"Oh, sorry. I was just…thinking, I guess. And enjoying the nice view out the window. It's a very nice day today." She avoided his stare by returning her eyes to the first sight she had seen that morning.

"Nami-san," he said with a sigh, "Are you sure your willing or able to come today?" Sanji figured Nami didn't want to be with everyone. She hadn't been with the whole group, or rather what was left of it, since she had stopped writing. She no longer made maps; she could barely even look at a piece of parchment or a pen. She also felt her spunkiness had died some and didn't want to disappoint anyone. She preferred keeping her distance as much as she could, but that didn't mean she hated them.

"Yes, I am," she replied firmly, not even twitching her stare, "I promised you all, so I am. You don't need to worry. Is it a crime for me to take my time so I can prolong my enjoyment of this delicious food you prepared for me?"

"No," he sighed again, a little bit heavier, "I just want to make sure you're coming."

"I am." She repeated but with a much firmer tone. That signaled Sanji she wanted him to leave.

"I'll believe you," he answered flatly, meanwhile making his way to the door, "But if you're not there by noon, I'm coming to get you."

"Okay, that's fair," she sighed herself in defeat, "But I might be bit late 'cause I want to go check on my tangerine grove for a bit. Is that okay, your highness?"

"Heh, yes, that's fine with me," he turned his head, exposing his smirk, just before exiting, "However, if you're not there a minute after noon, then I'll have no choice but to kidnap you and force you to the picnic."

"Yes, your majesty." She teased again, this time with a miniscule bow.

"Bye." He waved twice before closing the door.

"Bye…" she replied faintly, waiting until she heard the door slam before moving the tray off her lap and placing it onto her nightstand. As she began to stand up, she felt a spell of dizziness wash over her, but only halted her movements momentarily to let her body adjust to such a motion. After waiting almost ten seconds, she continued her action and stood up completely. Then she made her way over to the window, in time to see Sanji walking down her walkway. Her eyes caught a navy blue body suit at the end of the path and decided to duck behind her curtain. She didn't know Robin waited for Sanji every time he came to check on her.

She watched as Robin met Sanji near the end of the stony steps and noticed the whole-hearted smiles they wore. Sanji then surprised Robin by putting his hands around her waist and spinning her around until he brought her into such a close hug, you would've thought their bodies had molded together. Nami smirked painfully at the sight. She was happy for her friends, but oh how she envied their love and commitment. '_Why can't I…because I threw it all away._' She looked up at the sun to locate its position before closing the curtains almost invisibly. Making her way over to her dresser, she took off her robe to reveal her slender creamy shoulders that were left bare from her sleeveless robe-matching gown.

As she reached her destination, she opened the cabinet beside it and gazed at her wardrobe. "Hmm, wonder what would be appropriate for this thing?" she mumbled under her breath. All her clothes in this forgotten space seemed to be worthless to her. No matter how many berries she spent on them. It was just boring now. She decided then that no serious thought should go into this, so she grabbed a pair of light beige caprees and a blue-like-green sleeveless top with a v-cut neck, showing a nice amount of cleavage. She wondered to herself, as she put it on, how could she ever think something like that was appealing? Exposing yourself for others…

She stopped pulling her top over her head due to her thoughts. '_I guess at first I wore clothes like these to show I was strong and confident. But eventually…after he saved me the first time and asked if I was okay, it all came down to him. It was all for him. And now…_' she smirked, '_the first time I'm wearing these kinds of clothes again since we last saw each other and he isn't here. Ha! I guess I am strong after all.' _That smile remained on her face as she finished getting dressed and headed out of her room.

The sight of her kitchen and living room was almost new to her since she was rarely in them, and it gave her a sense of…freshness. As if she was starting over, like she wanted to do. She slipped on a pair of sandals that were in the same fashion as her red ones but the same colour as her shirt. She had forgotten how coordinated her wardrobe was. She was either in bed or out in her pajamas, walking around the garden-like forest behind her house. That was how she lived on. By enjoying what was originally there, nothing that could've been added or changed over time.

As she opened her door, the sun seemed to shine a lot brighter, as if giving her a beaming 'hello!'. She had to block the golden rays with her palm and squint. She tried for several minutes to adjust to the new lighting, but her sight wasn't improving. So she decided to just walk around like that until she could see perfectly with out funny colour smudges. Letting a final breath go, she began her journey.

Instead of taking the route Sanji had, the orange-haired ex-navigator headed north-west, down a hill toward the village, to reach her special grove. How long had it been since she was there?…No less than three and a half months, the least. Sanji ended up taking care of them; knowing very well Nami wouldn't and if no one else did, then they would die. She herself didn't want that to happen, but after awhile, she felt the only way to start over was to let all her old memories of 'them' go. And sadly, her memories previous to that had somehow intertwined with theirs and were impossible to sever. So, she avoided it all. Except her friends. Though it wasn't always her choice.

Green…

And orange…

The colour of the tangerines with their leaves…

It didn't take long for Nami to reach her grove. She just had to push through a few bushes that guarded the area and she had arrived. Upon seeing the patch, she stared blankly for a few moments, appearing to be in thought, before exposing a small acquired yet pained smile. The colours of her favourite keepsake…why oh why did they have to be those two colours? Green…his hair, bandana shade, sash… Orange…her hair, skirt shade…her fruits… Why did grass and leaves have to be green? Nami had also wondered that, or how anything got its colour. Why not have blue leaves to match the sky? Or, for the heck of it, purple leaves just for fun? Why green?

And why was her favourite fruit orange, combining with the green leaves?

She let her fingers stroll over the shape of the closest fruit and felt the small bumps, like the bumps on her skin when Zoro used to touch her skin with his strong hands or whenever he would growl or whisper in her ear. Just the thought of it made her shiver.

"…How I would give anything…for a second chance…"

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through and Nami turned away from the direction it was blowing, facing the gust with her back, to reduce the force and chance of being blown away. It sounds sort of unrealistic, considering the wind's pressure, but it was possible for her. With the issue of not eating very much over a certain amount of time, she had tended to have lost some weight. But she knew that not eating was another weakness, so she tried to, but never felt like it. And she wanted to live freely, under no obligation or judgment of anyone.

Once the wind calmed down, Nami dropped her palm and opened her eyes. As she blinked a few times, she noticed a small bird wiggling on the ground, trying to get back up. The poor chick looked to be in between the stages of infancy and childhood, trying to learn to fly, to prove it could. But sadly it had failed and was squeaking with each movement it made, trying to grab its mother's attention.

"Uh-uh," Nami scolded as she approached the defenseless bird, who twitched at the sound of her steps, "Mama's not going to help you. She wants you to try, to fly on your own. You need to learn to be more independent. You can't let something like this get you down, although in your case, I don't think you have a choice."

Seeing the poor helpless animal fearing for dear life just from the cautious thought of her approaching it, Nami halted her movements and withdrew her hand. She showed pity in her eyes to little bird, assuming it was a kind of robin who would be hibernating soon or whatever it is birds do in the winter. With the season changes around the corner and being born at such a time of the year, it was trying to fly so it could join up with its mother when she would be departing from the twig nest up in the tree to a nice warm location. But no matter how hard it tried, the young red haired woman could visibly see the injury it carried; a broken wing.

There was no way this little cutie was going anywhere if its wing wasn't treated properly and soon, for all that thrashing around made it worse. So, even though she was risking the chance of getting poked or clawed at and scaring the little one into a heart attack, she reached down swiftly and gently scooped up the baby. She could feel its little frame shaking from her touch and sighed. Was she really that scary? Could a single touch really scare someone or something so much? Well, if anyone would know…

'_I want to hold those hands  
That have been beaten to sores _

…I want to feel  
Your rough gentle touch.  
I want to feel  
My body in your clutch…'

She wouldn't have said that if she didn't mean it, right? Her mind was swarming with ideas as she ripped off an inch of the bottom of her shirt to use as a gauge for her injured friend, who was shaking less than a moment ago. His hands weren't scary at all, really. They were just hands, for crying out loud! Sure, he wielded those life-threatening blades with them, but he also did so with his mouth. His words could be as affect as a sword's blade, but that wasn't what his lips were made to do. And they weren't that ferocious. No one with a kiss as passionate as his could've be as horrible as that 'WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE' made he seem to be.

His kiss…how she struggled with all her might to remember their feel. Those same lips that had leaked out as many drops of blood as they had venomous words always made her quiver. She felt so weak under his impulsive osculate action, yet so powerful with an overwhelming emotion only he could conjure that gave her so much life. Even if they were laced with a deadly venom, for one last feel, she would be willing to take the risk if he would show her as much passion as he had during their twenty hour engagement. Ooh, the reminiscing sent chills down her spine and fuelled the fire of desire in her gut.

She had almost forgotten about the young robin until it squawked at her. She stared down at it, shocked at its method and presence. Instead of biting or attacking her, it chose to snap at her. This bird, though only a bird, was truly kind-hearted. She smiled softly at the baby and finished tying the knot to the fabric around its wing.

"Thank you," she whispered, causing her fine feathered friend to stare up at her with burnt brown eyes filled with confusion, "you stopped me from going on with those troublesome thou—"

Her so-called kind-hearted bird took off in a blast and was up in the sky, flying alongside its mother, Nami assumed, rather smoothly. Nami was confused to say the least. "But…then why…how…?" she couldn't continue her sentence, even if she wanted to, for she heard the town bell chime. "Oh! It's noon! I don't have time for little mean birdies!" and she ran back to her house, knowing Sanji would be there.

! _At the picnic…_ ! 

"Everyone, I am proud to introduce to you: Nami!" Sanji finished by making a trumpet noise. That only earned him a harder whap on the head.

"Oh, hush. They know me, ya bum." She smirked impishly with a crossed expression.

"We just haven't seen you in awhile 'sall." Luffy mumbled out while using his teeth to butcher a chicken leg.

"I know, I know. I've just been…healing, in my own way I guess. Is that a substantial answer for you al—Speaking of all, where's Usopp?" Nami asked, completely shocked at herself for not noticing earlier.

"He'll be sailing in soon. He took Chopper to visit Kaya, hoping to terminate any remaining bacteria in her system and to offer her…a proposal. If she accepts, you might be seeing her today too." Sanji answered while puffing out a cloud of smoke, leaning against Robin's legs who was sitting in a chair under an umbrella.

"Y'mean…he's proposing to her! Now! After all this time and no one told me! SANJI!" Nami growled dangerously at 'Smoky'.

He sweat-dropped and grinned sheepishly while holding his hands up in front of himself, similar to how she had that morning, "Now Nami-san…"

"Don't you 'Nami-san' me! You come to my house everyday, and you couldn't think to tell me? How serious one of my best friends has been about a good friend of us? How he was thinking of proposing to her? How she'll be moving here and they'll live together…"

"…That's why we didn't want to tell you," Sanji returned to his usual exterior, "We didn't want you working yourself up over it. Besides, we wanted Usopp to do the honors. Since it is his love life, not ours."

"Because you've got your own…" Nami mumbled under breath as she took a seat on the laid out fabric and rummaged through the basket Sanji had overstuffed with food, as usual. She found an apple and began to snack away while staring out at the horizon, as if waiting for someone…longingly…

"W-well now," Robin saw the silence needed to be broken, but not by Luffy, "How about a toast, then we begin the meal?"

"Great idea," Sanji said with a pleased smile, glad someone wanted his food other than Luffy, "I'm sure Usopp and Chopper would understand. Alright, I'll pour everyone a glass."

Sanji went into the small wine bag and pulled out a clear see-thru bottle of white wine, as if the liquid was transparent. He grabbed a few glasses and dispensed the drink to the crew members who were there. Nami accepted her glass and watched the blonde fill her glass less than half way with the alcoholic beverage. The four of them picked up their glasses and clinked them together.

"To the S.S. Merry Go and its crew," Sanji declared, "May our legend be eternal and our relationships everlasting."

"CHEERS!"

"Depends who your talking about…" the three looked at Nami after she finished mumbling her sentence.

They were all frozen, a bit worried on how to approach the situation until Sanji sighed.

"Nami-san, you know one day you'll have to move on. That's why—"

"—What if I don't want to?"

That really surprised her friends. She lifted her head and looked just as shocked as them.

"I—I mean…oh, I don't know. But I think it's stupid to hold a crew picnic and leave out a member."

"Nami, how could—"

"Y'know what, nevermind. I'm sorry, I tried. I apologize for dampening your fun. If you'll excuse me…" She gave Robin her glass and walked toward the dirt road she had taken to get there, the one hidden from public.

"Grr…ONE DAY YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE YOU'VE LOCKED YOURSELF IN, NAMI!" Sanji shouted at the retreating woman, "IF THIS IS HOW YOU INTEND TO LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, IN SUFFERING AND REGRET, WHAT'S THE POINT OF ANY OF IT AT ALL?"

"…Indeed…" was the only comment he got in return before she vanished away from all their senses.

! _Later, At Sunset, in front of the Tangerine Grove…_ ! 

Her pale hand reached up to caress her beloved fruit one last time. She didn't think she'd have enough room in her bag to bring any with her, they would only get squashed. Nami was only standing there instead of lying away the rest of the day, and possibly her life, because she decided something needed to change. What Sanji had said hit her hard and he was somewhat of a wake up call. It was true, she had locked herself in her own imagination's nightmare because she was what caused this whole new mess and it was her fault. She needed to punish herself somehow, it was only fair to him…

It took her a month after his last letter for her to accept what he had written. She figured he just meant it was over. She had stopped responding because she wanted to see if their love could surpass his 'Strike Three-You're Out' system, but apparently it hadn't. She always thought he was much stronger than her and if he was willing to continue on, even if she wasn't sure, then they had a chance, definitely. But obviously they didn't because that was as far as he was willing to go. And it took her a month to try and understand why. She put herself in his position and realized she didn't even have the nerve to attempt what he had done. S for him to say that, she knew it was over…

And she was the reason behind the end of both their love letter exchange, no matter what they had said, and her heart.

She needed to try now though. Like they always said, as she was told, "it's never to late for a second chance" or something like that. And even if she couldn't get a second chance at life itself, she could get a second chance at life without worry. As much as she feared and didn't want to, she was about to walk away from her security and venture out into the world, no longer shielded by anything or anyone. No one to back her up and no blade to defend with. She inhaled sharply as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her forearm. Man, had the sun heated up. It was really getting to her.

After a few more moments of standing there, she heard her stomach growl rather noisily. "Hmm… I guess grabbing some for the road wouldn't hurt anyone." She convinced herself aloud as she reached for two orange colored fruits. She took a bite and relished its sweetness while turning to face her new path in life; an endless road with no destination. Who knew now where life would take her. Who knew if she'd ever see these so-called 'friends' again. She never got to see Zoro, so why would these people get to see her?

Apparently, she was a nightmare. If she lived in a nightmare and interacted with them, then she brought them into it to and only caused them to suffer as she did. She was the darkness in their lives. Nothing pleasant came from her existence. There, anyway. She prayed there was something greater out there for her now, something that only she, Nami, could find.

Fanning herself violently as she tossed away her fruit's remains, she began to head off. Once reaching the edge of her property, she stopped for a moment. She flinched, threatening to turn, to say a final good-bye, but knew just letting go would be better. So she faced forward completely again and felt her life slip away. '_Something's…wrong,_' she thought as she brought a hand to her aching head, '_Maybe I should've eaten with them. I was packing for almost two hours and only ate an apple with them, which burns fat. I…don't feel that great…_' She clutched her stomach in pain and hissed, letting her mind accept the pain so she could be unconscious for the unexpected fall…

Even after laying there for a good few minutes, she didn't open her eyes. She knew very well where she was, she was afraid and unhappy to accept it. Right when she was about to change her ways, to live in a happier style, she had to die. She still felt warm. '_Am I in hell?_' she peaked an eye open to see white '_I can't possibly be in heave—no way!_' She shot up and stared down at her sheets. Her bed sheets. The ones that could only be found on her bed in her house, which was on top of the hill she was falling to the bottom to the last she checked.

"…H-how…?"

"Hey there Nami, it's been a while."

She froze instantly. She knew that gruff growl oh too well, for it still sent chills down her spine and goose bumps all over her skin. The one and only…

**

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! Author Notes ! **

I can c a few ppl like dis fic, yet dunt review. So…

**5 reviews or no update!**

I hate doin dis, but only 2 or 3 consistant ppl review and it hurts my feelins dat u dunt wanna cuz it makes me think me ficcie aint good enuf TT** so plz!**

Thx 2 those who care! Ill give u a shout-out in da next chapter! 

2 more chapps 2 go! YAH!


	19. How They Reacted To Each Other's Heart

**_One Piece: _**

Words From The Heart

"…"

"What? After all this time, you can't even bare to say 'hi'?"

"…Z…Zoro?"

"Yeah," he answered casually as he stretched his arms, "The one and only."

Nami was too stunned to comprehend what was going on. Maybe she should've just accepted the fall down the hill. She knew death wouldn't be as complicated as the moment she was currently in. Her mind was filled with so many possible thoughts that could all result in many possible out comes, she went blank. Her mind was in a twister of thoughts and her heart in a swirl of emotions. What ever happened to her idea of what she would do if she ever saw him again? Well, technically, she hadn't seen him yet since he was sitting in the far corner of her room in the shadows. All she could see was a dark outline of his body and the chair he sat on. The moon light only exposed his feet to her, which were still in those leather slip-ons from when they were nakama.

Eventually, she knew no matter how the situation went, she had to say something. So, she went with the most obvious and easiest question that didn't take much to say. Clearing her throat she asked.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, there are two answers to that question," he began as he stood up from his seated position and took a step forward, "One would be that I wanted to see you. I told you in my last letter to you that I gave you one more chance and you blew it. You would've gotten a warning if you'd read it."

"I…I did." She answered truthfully. She wanted to defend herself, but was more interested in seeing him. Normally in a situation like this, she had the upper hand. She would be the one with a tease to torture. But now, here she was, sitting dumbfounded on her bed in pure sight of him while she let her eyes travel over his slowly coming-into-view being.

"Really? Then how come I never got a reply?" he asked in a tone that was uncomfortably close to her seductive one. His footsteps were echoing in her ears though, so she barely noticed. Oh, she was aching to see what she had been missing. Her hands gripped her sheets as he finally stepped into clear view while walking around the corner of her bed, not realizing he was approaching her.

He was wearing a pair of night sky-black jeans that were very close to a second skin. They covered his muscular thighs perfectly, all the way to the bottom of his knee cap. From the rest down, they let loose a bit, but still enough to add to one's imaginative wonder. He wore a malachite green button-up t-shirt, though the buttons were obviously not needed. He wore it open, completely exposing all chest and torso muscles. Once seeing that, Nami ignored the rest of him just to gaze. His pectorals had somehow tightened, adding more shape, and looked ridiculously smooth in the dim light shining in through the window. His eight pack was half hidden by his signature sash. His swords sat at his hip, as usual. Those were the only two things about his wardrobe that stayed one hundred percent the same.

His hair was still the same as the picture he had sent her (she remembered in lust), just a tad bit longer then before. It still held that unusual hue of aqua green and its ruffled state. His skin seemed to be a shade darker too, but in the slightest. She assumed it was due to his mentioned travels and training in the sun. His eyes were different then she willingly recalled. No longer hard and uncaring, they reminded her of a coy cat, no a restless tiger, waiting to pounce. And his smile confirmed her analogy was right on the dot. He looked rather calm, too calm for Zoro or for Nami's taste. After _x_-number of years apart, he had nothing he wanted to say? The persistent Zoro in those letters wouldn't be acting this way. He would charge at her and wrap his strong, comforting arms around her waist, his lips gracing the top of her head, and yelling something fierce. Maybe something like, "_Do you know how hard it was to stay away from you? I…missed you, Nami. I really did._"

But this Zoro, the magical-appearing Zoro, just looked smug.

"Well? Why didn't you respond? You don't hate me, do you?" Zoro's voice scared Nami senseless, ridding her of the small amount she had left since she awoke to the sound of his gruff whisper, for she had not realized he was so close to her. He was standing so near, it looked like she was staring at his abdomen when she was lost in her straight-forward gaze.

"N-No, how can I hate you? It'd be stupid for me to send letters to an old friend if I hated him." She said in her usual accent, trying to seem as if him being there wasn't troubling her in the least.

"And you just said I was a friend, so you obviously don't." he finished by tilting his head twice toward the corner of her bed, requesting in silence for a seat. She nodded and he sat down only inches away, Nami's breath catching in her throat.

"…What's the other reason you're here?" she asked in a suspicious tone.

"For the picnic, of course," He looked at her like it was obvious.

"How did you know about it?"

"Apparently, my carrier pigeon isn't such a good sneak sleath. Sanji caught him last time he was here and sent back an invitation." He answered with a chuckle.

"But…that was six months ago! What've you been doing since then?"

She noticed then how his smile went away and he looked somber, "Well, I knew, with my sense of direction, I better leave a little early so I'd be here in time. But…I also wanted to see you…to see if we could get over all that crap so we can move on with life. That way, life could be normal again and no one has to suffer."

Silence joined their conversation for a moment or two before Nami replied.

"I…I won't be able to."

Zoro looked over at her to see why she sounded so choked up. It was then he noticed her eyes; she looked like she was trying to contain the hurtful feelings of her heart. With no idea what she meant, he probed.

"What do you mean?"

Nami's dam broke. She couldn't believe he expected her to just pretend she didn't cry herself dry. He thought she would be able to forget how she felt the morning she woke to find his bed bare, belongings gone, no proof of him ever being apart of her life. He just assumed it would be easy for her to pretend the very thought of him from her past would not make her want to smile and scream at the same time. All the feelings she'd been trying to contain were suddenly released so easily and she knew she couldn't call them back now.

"You left me, Zoro. For six and a half years, you were out of my life. All because you thought I betrayed you. I broke your trust in me so easily, you decided I was worthless. So, you left me alone on that boat with all our memories and moments, not caring how I would feel or how you just left me behind to suffer. You think you have the nerve to ask me to _forget_? After trying to _bare_ it and _understand_ it, you want me to **forget?** That's like telling me to throw away almost seven years of hard work because it suits you best. This is exactly the same as when you took off! You don't **_care_** how I feel You do what's right for you! **You don't give a damn! **You probably miss Luffy and Usopp, and hell, even fighting with Sanji. Oh, maybe it was Robin? Well, _so **sorry**, _but she's with Sanji now. Officially. As in they're a **_couple!_** Oh wait, you don't even know what that is! Well, I won't explain it, but it means you can't be with her! Ooh, just your luck! You better leave quickly now and go wallow in despair like you did befo--"

"**SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!**" Zoro howled hard, causing Nami to jump in her place and actually shudder from the sound, something she had never done before. It scared her, just listening to him growl. Before, it sent sensational shivers down her spine, making her body cry out for him. But now it made her want to hide away and cry. Fearing her lost love was truly eternally lost, his soul replaced by the devil in his magnificent body. She could hardly stand to look at him with his rage-filled eyes. He looked as if he was ready to slice her in two, like she herself was Hawkeye in disguise. It frightened her. And because she was afraid of being frightened of him, since it was new and unwanted, her fear only grew.

Zoro's one and only ex-girlfriend sat before his eyes, shaking in fear, as he sat so on-edge. After what like forever of an eye contest, he covered up his fangs and exhaled through his nose before going on.

"Don't think you get off saying that to me. You think you're the only one who suffered? You think you're so unfortunate to have to stay 'behind' with all our friends? I had to drop everything and leave. I did it for you! And here you are yelling at me? Who do you think you are?"

"I think I'm the girl whose heart you shattered!" she fought back, her heart-aching turning into rage.

"And you think mine didn't? You knew I hated that chef being around you. From that moment he gave you that rose at his restaurant, I didn't want him around you. But you went to him in your time of sadness and pain, because we couldn't keep our big mouths shut! You wanted comfort, so you went to him!"

"He came to me!" she protested against his accusation.

"But you didn't push him away so does it matter who went to who? The point is you let him hold you! If we were together, you don't let anyone else hold you! Only I can hold you that way and no body else! I was the only one with that ability and you took it away! You belittled me in front of our crew! I couldn't just let you get away with it!"

"You don't think dumping me was a little harsh?" she was not seeing his point of reasoning behind all of this; she was still caught up in his stumble of grammar.

"NO! I didn't want to spend the rest of my life watching my girl jumping at the sight of other guys. Do you know how demeaning that is? We were together for not even a day and you were already hugging that dumb-ass bastard!"

"HEY! I don't care how pissed you are, don't call Sanji…t-that. He has been helping me through these past years. I owe him so much."

"So he was _your _whore?"

"**NO! **_No one_was _anyone's** whore**_ Get your mind out of the gutter! He didn't pleasure me, he tried to heal me!"

"Oh, poor you," Zoro said sarcastically while rolling his eyes, "Like you needed it."

"All you're telling me is that I bruised your ego! That's not enough to justify a broken heart." "That's not what I'm saying!" he clenched his fist, his muscles looked as if they wanted to burst from within his skin, "Argh, damn it! All your thinking about is how you were hurt and poor li'l old you! What about me? I know you knew you were in trouble when you saw me walk onto the deck that night. You knew I would be hurt. Then, and only then, did you regret what you did."

"That's not true!" she cried, making him snap his eyes into her gaze, making sure he got the full feeling of her words to come, "You don't know what's in my head. You don't know how I feel! Even with all the risks I've taken in life, I know how it feels to hurt. I would **_never_** betray someone's heart like that. Especially the heart of someone who was so close to mine."

Zoro's orbs opened wide at her words. Even after the little squabble they just had, she still had the guts to say that to him. Even though she convinced herself he probably wouldn't want her to forgive him now, that he would hate her from now on. Her endless courage always amazed him, it was truly inspiring. The swordsman realized only then how close he had leaned toward her and backed up, relaxing his tightened muscles and sighing lightly. With his eyes cast to the ground in thought and hers gazing up to her ceiling light, the two sat in a somehow comfortable silence, yearning for the other to speak first. Eventually, someone would, it would only be a matter of time.

By now, the moon was almost right outside Nami's window, watching the old lovers try to rekindle their past bond, though afraid to admit it to each other. Fearless Zoro and Spunky Nami now had no idea what to do. Just the other by them made them content for the time being. The moon seemed to be unsatisfied by this and wanted to avoid the boring scene. Soon, a large cloud rolled by and blocked its light. In seconds, finding something to occupy themselves, Fearless and Spunky both looked to the window to see what caused the sudden light change. It took a while, but Nami noticed how he was doing as she was and turned away with a small blush, acting like a hopeless romantic, giddy at the thought of them unconsciously acting in unison. It was then she began to shuffle in her sheets and she gasped.

Glad she ended the dead air, Zoro turned to her to question the reason behind her sharp intake of air. Before their eyes could meet, a pillow collided with Zoro's face.

"Ack…What the hell was that for?" Zoro grumbled while clutching the fluffy night-cushion.

"Why am I in my nightgown?" she growled dangerously. The only guy who didn't witness her 'Happiness Punch' in Alabasta had now undressed her and put her in her thin, white night dress? The PERVERT! When his face relaxed, it only added fuel to Nami's fury.

"You fell down a hill, woman. You were rolling for awhile before I caught you. You were lucky not to get any serious knock to the head. But you do have a scratch around the sixth bump of your spine that was bleeding. I had to do something. Though I must say," he grinned wolfishly, "you have gotten even more--"

"Don't even!" she thundered, shaking a bit with embarrassment at the thought of Zoro seeing her almost naked. Wait…yeah, almost. She checked to make sure he hadn't removed her bra and th--underwear.

"What? I can't complement you?" he inwardly laughed at the small blush on her cheeks. He hadn't seen her cheeks this red since that time when she was sick.

"N-not when you're acting like a pervert!"

He laughed whole heartedly at her quaking voice. Nami's aura just heated up more.

**BAM! **

"OWW! STOP HITTING ME!"

"It's not my fault if you deserve it." She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. When she saw Zoro's eyebrows knit together, she smiled triumphantly and returned her tongue to its haven. But seeing a chance of opportunity, Zoro bolted forward just as it was half way in and was able to catch the tip with his teeth not even a millimetre away from her lips. Nami's eyes were wide with shock and amazement. Zoro's were just mocking her.

"Ha ha, easy." he teased as clear as day, his skill of talking with a sword in his mouth adding to the affect.

"Wthet go—" with her lips forming an 'o', they pushed forward and grazed the aqua green-haired man's lips. Both sat there for three winks before Zoro's teeth slowly let go of her tongue, wanting to further her accidental action. But Nami, unsure of how she felt about this, pulled back and cast her gaze downward. He groaned to himself and pulled away, but now sat closer to her. Sighing, he looked up at the damn never-ending cloud outside the window.

" 'Dear Zoro'," he began to quote, waiting to feel Nami's gaze on him before continuing.

" 'Letting fear get in your way and stopping you from doing what you 'want' is not manly one bit. You never let fear get in your way before, so why change now?' Isn't that what you said to me?" his eyes looked so fiery then, Nami's heart beat faster.

"Yeah…so?" she didn't understand why he was bringing that up at that moment in time.

"Well, do you think fear makes you anymore of a woman then I am of a man?"

"…It's different." She answered softly.

"How so?" he asked with a grunt.

"Men are supposed to be strong and fearless. Girls are supposed to be afraid at times. That's when it's the man's time to shine."

"Oh, I see…" he replied with a groan. Did all girls think like this…?

"Besides, I never said I was…afraid…of…this," she replied, looking at him with her head bowed slightly.

"Then what are you afraid of? Has my face grown scarier over the last few years?"

"I'm not afraid! I'm just…"

Zoro didn't understand, but he decided not to upset her. So he just let it go.

"Never mind, forget it. It's not important I guess."

"…Well, what about you?" she sounded as if she was accusing him of something.

"What about me?" he repeated in proper grammar from his point of view.

" 'Dear Nami'," she began to quote a letter of his.

" 'You cannot still want me. I know you. I realize what I have done to you. So I know you are lying. This is exactly why we can never meet again.' If you think so, why're you here now? Why come to me after all the letters? Especially with that as your resolve?"

" 'You know I am right. You just don't want to believe me. Because, in both of us, there is a part wishes to go back to those days. But you have to understand, for my well being and especially yours, we can never go back. Ever. I'm sorry, but I think that even being penpals is wrong for us 'cause it is just going to cause us more pain. I know this is confusing for you, it is for me to, but I need to speak with you. I can never see you face to face, so I want to keep this going. Our bond is special, one of a kind.' That's why."

"That didn't explain anything!" Nami was unsatisfied.

"I admit that was my resolve at first, but I just couldn't let you end it that way, Nami. Do you realize how incredibly pointless it would've been if we just went on with life after such a thing? Anyone who would hear our story would call us idiots! Look, I didn't want to see you because I…was…afraid…of you."

"Me?" she sounded saddened by that.

"I was afraid…you wouldn't accept who I've become and what I've done. You wouldn't want this 'demon'. And I couldn't—"

"You're no demon, Zoro." She whispered to him in such a fragile voice. He turned to look at her, just as the cloud passed on, letting the moon light leak in. He noticed her eyes were glossy and she wore a smile that made his pulse stop cold.

"What?" was his ingenious reply.

"You are not a demon. Sure, I may have thought so when you left, but I know you're not. If you were, you would've slapped me across the face for insulting you earlier."

"I would never!" he assured her seriously, sounding hurt that she would even think that.

"I know. So that proves you're not." Her smile grew, making one on his face appear.

"Well," he chuckled out, "I try to be a good boy." Her melodic laughter filled his ears, and he couldn't hold back his own light chuckles.

"You do your best, I guess."

"Yeah, I—HEY!"

"I-I'm kidding! She insured while finishing off her set of giggles.

He smiled at her blissful state, as if nothing ever happened. She seemed truly happy to be in his company, and he was sinfully at peace to be in hers.

"You know," she began after a little while of gaining her air back, "I had in my head many visions of what would happen if we were ever to meet again, but nothing like this."

"Yeah, me too." He answered truthfully, nodding.

"My most consistent ones where one where we were overjoyed to see each other, or I'd walk over to you a slap you across the face."

"What the hell?" he now lost the happy feeling he had for the last ten seconds, the most.

"Well, I figured I'd just go with the mood you set, I'd follow along. If you were happy, I'd be happy. If you were pissed off, then I would be too. And be way more pissed off then you."

"That would just cause more problems! Why would I come see you if I was mad at you?"

"I don't know. You were always the type to have a short temper. I just thought that you seeing me would lead to one or two ways. Though I prefer the first one."

"You're making me fit in with the latter."

"Oh now, Zoro," she said in her seductress voice, the one that made him quake in his boots, as she moved out from under the covers and sat beside him, one leg resting on the mattress bent while the other hung over the side, "don't get all _testy_."

"I don't know where you picked up that crude humour sense of yours, but don't start anything with it again, would ya?"

"Me? You're the one who called me a geisha! What did you want me to do?"

"I only called you a whore because you insulted my…size!"

"A _whore_" Nami was rudely taken aback.

"That's what geishas are Nami; whores."

"No, they're not! They're more then that! They're also classy and look they're best. Calling me a whore is a different and more offensive fault." Her tone proved her point.

"Well to me, they're the same. Any stupid girl who's a geisha or a whore can go ahead and screw up their life for all I care. They don't even intrigue me. They're lifeless…pleasure tools with sound."

"…Either way, you called me one or the other." Nami's voice was low in realization.

"Aw Nami," Zoro groaned, knowing where this was going, "don't take it like that."

"NO!" she jumped off her bed and glared down at the man, "You called me a geisha, which to you, is a whore! A prostitute! Unless a girl really is one, you disgrace her and ruin her reputation! That's why Sanji was so pissed off; he knew! He understood what you had done and was protecting me!"

"So what?" Zoro glared up at her and was filling with his own kind of energy, "That isn't what I meant when I said it to you! You're such taking it too seriously."

"How am I supposed to take it? No matter how you say it, it's still the same."

"No, it's not! When I said in that fight, they were just hollow words so we could talk at all in front of the crew without them getting suspicious and knowing. Right, isn't that what you wanted?"

"Not if it meant you had to disgrace me in front of Sanji-kun and the others!"

…Oh no, here we go…

"…Sanji-_kun_?" Zoro was too pissed off for words now, "When the hell was the '-_kun_' added? When I went away and he got to fuck you?"

"ZORO! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CALLED ME A WHORE!"

"AND YOU SAID I HAD A SMALL DICK! I WASN'T GOING TO LET YOU SHAME ME LIKE THAT!"

"Oh, SO YOU CAN SHAME ME?"

"YOU FIND A BETTER COUNTER ATTACK! YOU WOULD'VE DONE THE SAME THING!"

"I WOULD _NEVER _SAY YOU SOLD YOUR BODY LIKE THAT!"

"NO, YOU DID WORSE! YOU SAID I HAD A 'TINY TIM'! THAT'S THE BIGGEST BLOW YOU CAN HIT A GUY WITH!"

"AGAIN WITH YOUR STUPID EGO!"

"NO, THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT FROM THE GIRL WHO WOULD'VE ONE DAY HAD SEX WITH ME, SHE THOUGHT MY DICK WAS SMALL! NO GIRL WANTS THAT! ARG, AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? THIS WAS SIX YEARS AGO! GET OVER IT!"

"Well, that little spat gave you enough motive to leave, SO IT CAN GIVE ME ENOUGH MOTIVE GET PISSED OFF!"

"SIX YEARS LATER? WHAT THE HELL? AND DAMMIT! YOU WERE EVEN THE ONE WHO BROUGHT IT UP! NAMI, JUST LET THIS GO!"

"HOW CAN I? IT WAS NEVER SETTLED! YOU SAY I HIT YOU WITH THE BIGGEST BLOW AND GUY COULD TAKE, WELL YOU DID THE SAME TO ME! CALLING ME A WHORE IS NO BETTER!"

"GRR, THIS IS GETTING US NO WHERE!"

"And where exactly do you want us to go, Zoro? In my sheets? 'Cause you know, I might have to charge you extra for revealing my secret life." She was being spiteful.

"I WOULDN'T DOUBT IT!" and with the shout, he ended it all.

Nami felt the air in her lungs leave her at that due to a cold, twisted feeling squeezing her chest. She shakily bowed her head when Zoro gasped two seconds after replaying the conversation over in his head.

"Ahh, Nami…" he stretched his hand out to her.

She backed away swiftly, "No Zoro, stop. I…don't want…I don't…"

"Nami, come on…" he went to stand up to reach his hand farther out to her, but she shocked him slapping it away. Then seconds later, she lifted her fiery eyes and yelled as loud as she could.

"GIVE ME BACK MY TREASURE RIGHT NOW AND GO SEE SOMEONE ELSE!"

Lifelessly, Zoro's hand dropped without a sound. His mouth unknowingly hung up and his eyes were wider then usual. When she said that, it felt like she had grabbed his 'Wado Ichimonji' and stabbed him in the heart with no regret. She…wanted it back… She said it to his face, she wanted her treasure back. She didn't want it in his hands anymore.

She wanted back her finest treasure; her heart.

He had held onto it for so long, parting with it now would be next to impossible and beyond. Those nineteen hours they were a couple cemented some claim for him, and now she wanted it all back. She finally wanted her treasure back, erasing all trace of them ever being in love. That is what she was saying would make her happy. If he gave her his heart and left, even though she would carelessly still hold his.

Zoro suddenly snapped back to reality and dropped his head down, clenched fists at his side and fangs sitting on his bottom lip. Damn, this is exactly what he was talking about. This was why he didn't think they were ready for this. He knew that when she broke off their letter exchange, she was never going to accept him. But he also knew she was hurting. He knew she had wanted to see him and he shattered her dream. Sanji confirmed so when he sent him the invitation. On the back, it had said, "Get your ass over here, for Nami's sake."

"Well?" Nami spat with venom pouring off her tongue.

"…Heh, I don't think so." He said smugly as he lifted his head, meeting her gaze with his mischievous look.

Nami was over-ruled by her emotions again.

"Damn it, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KEEP IT! IT'S MINE AND I DEMAND YOU GIVE IT BACK!"

"Or what? You'll add to my debt?"

"MAYBE! YOU NEVER DID PAY ME WHAT YOU OWE!"

"Eh, you know me." He just shrugged.

"I WISH I DIDN'T! NOW GIVE ME BACK MY HEART!"

"I can't." he said huskily, a fire had ignited behind his eyes.

"THE HELL, YOU CAN'T! RORONOA ZORO, GIVE ME BACK MY—"

"If you give me back mine, I can freely give you yours."

"Wha—" Nami's rose petal lips were then covered by Zoro's trash-talking mouth.

Her eyes were wide in surprise, but then rolled back in her head as she moaned at the feel. Her mind was blank. She had no clue what reality was at the moment as his lips roughly massaged her own, while his arms drew her in close to his body desperately, squeezing her hip bones in his palms. Nami gasped in their kiss, feeling her bust's points harden in excitement. Zoro felt it too, right through the fabric of her gown, and only growled crazily, his hands trying to bring her even closer.

After Zoro felt himself harden more so then ever before, and his lungs aching for air, he let go of her now reddened lips rest his head on top of hers. He felt her chest heave against his in harmony, knowing her heart beat as fast as his, not due to the air they had lost.

"Oh Nami," he said breathlessly, "Oh…yeah…"

"…Y-Yeah what?" she questioned.

"Yeah," –he inhaled in the middle of the word- "I would love to be wrapped up in your sheets."

Nami backed up to look up into his eyes, not feeling up to it, but ready to argue. But the impact of the feelings she saw in his pure black coals made her stay silent in awe. His soul's windows proved to her he did not think of her as a geisha, a whore, a prostitute. He thought of her as she thought of him; the mate she was destined to find. But Nami need to hear it. After how their relationship had been so easily flung around, she needed to hear it, if just once, that he truly loved her.

"Why Zoro?" Nami asked in a cute childish tone, but enchanting at the same time, "What could we possibly do?"

"Make love." He stated with such hear, Nami felt her stomach turn in anticipation.

"But why would we? I mean you only can truly make love with someone y—"

"I love you," He said with so much emphasis on each word, she knew he was sincere, yet he felt the need to go on, "Even with all that life ahs thrown at me and though I wouldn't accept it for so long, I love you. I still have from way back in our old days. From the moment I laid eyes on you before saving you from Buggy's clowns to this very moment in time, I have loved you. It sounds weird coming from me of all people, I know, but I mean it. I tried for so long to save you from the misery I had to face of always loving you that I was willing to eternally suffer."

"Oh, Zoro…" Nami had tears in her eyes as she hastily embraced him in a hug, one she had been dreaming of since he rescued her that same day he admitted he fell in love. His arms returned to their previous position around her midriff and he almost felt the need to cry with joy. He knew she was, he felt her shoulders vibrate from the action. It just gave him more reason to do so as well. Unable to hold back his emotions anymore as well, his eyes were filled in mere seconds. They held each other desperately, making sure that they were in fact their in the real world, not in just some other fantasy.

Zoro sat down then, placing her in his lap, a leg on each side of him and moved back to look into her eyes. She looked into his with shiny chocolate orbs, looking completely overwhelmed with happiness. He felt himself release all tension he had then and relax with the woman he loved in his arms.

"I meant what I said, Nami," he spoke so softly, no one could possibly known Zoro could do so, "I want to make love to you; to prove to you I truly love you."

"I believe you," she answered leaning over his upper body, her face hovering over his, "but I would definitely suggest you make love to me right now. It'll surely be worth your wild."

He smirked along with her before turning over and lying her down on the bed. Her head landed gently on the pillow she had on the other side of her bed, her body laying diagonally across her mattress. Looking up at him, she watched him crawl over her thin frame, his eyes stating how strongly he ached for her. She was growing heated with the same feeling, and it was fuelling all instinct, thought and feeling she had. Finally, after his body was properly over hers, matching up, he lay down on top of her with his forearms supporting most of his weight and hungrily lavished her lips.

Nami responded with as much need, her hands travelling up his sides, under the flaps of his shirt and tracing his back with her weightless touch. Shivers ran down his spine in ecstasy, making him shudder suddenly. He growled then, not liking the fact that he wasn't affecting Nami the same way. So he lifted one of his hands and used his index finger to trace the bottom hem's lace of her gown. He felt goose bumps rise on her skin and smirked in their kiss. He also felt her lift her hips lightly, making him throb with anxiousness. His hand then snuck its way up her thigh and stick his whole hand under the band of her undergarment. That's when Zoro pulled back to look down at his girl, no, woman.

"Nami," he said almost in a sing-song voice, "I didn't know you liked to wear thongs."

"I didn't know you knew what one was."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll help me become an expert with them. Like, say, taking them off…"

He then hooked his grip around it and pulled oh so slowly down the side of her leg, torturing her. She arched her, making her their hips grind together once again. Zoro felt his body shake from his pulse. He groaned in pleasure as he let the thong go and grab her dress roughly. Nami let her hips stay in the air as he slipped the clothing down her bottom and to her mid back. Then she pushed him lightly so she could sit up and let him remove it from her upper half too. Once it was completely over her head, she saw him staring at her body intently.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

He looked into her eyes and smiled, "You're beautiful." As simple as that.

She smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss him.

"Thanks," she whispered, her hot breath leaking over his cheeks, "You're pretty damn sexy yourself."

"I have to be to keep up with you." He grinned like a drunken fool.

"Well, lets see if you _can_ keep up with me, shall we?"

With that, she placed her hands on his bare shoulders and let them lightly pull the fabric that covered them down his arms. Once completely removed, she tugged at his sash, signalling she wanted it off.

"Impatient, are we?"

"Yes, _we_ are." She teased as watched him stand to remove his sash and pants. She cursed underwear, however, when she saw he still had boxer on underneath. He noticed this and turned his head around to show her is smirk. He 'tsk'-ed at her.

"Nami, an eye for an eye." He sounded clueless as he eyed her breasts. She followed his gaze and realized what he was referring to. So, she decided she'd be nice.

"That's right. So would you care to do the honours?" she stuck her chest out a bit more, alluring him closer. He nodded foolishly as he walked over to the bed, placed one knee up and wrapped his arms around her back. Once he felt the material unclasp, he immediately gazed down at her chest in anticipation.

**(Due to the explicit scene that is to ensue in this situation, the story will now skip ahead to after the event. Thank you.)**

Nami was overwhelmed by the feeling that still resided in her body. She felt almighty, all powerful, but at the same time felt like she couldn't leave his arms. All she wanted to do was waste her energy away in her lover's arms, completely in bliss. The breathing was taking a longer while to return to normal then she assumed, but it wasn't on the red head's interest list. The only thing she was concerned about then and there was him; his body one with hers and his arms that rested on her hips as he held her. She cuddled closer and breathed in his scent. Surprisingly, it was nice to her nose. She could only guess it came with love. It made her think of a pine forest after a heavy thunder storm. She smiled.

"Zoro?" she whispered to him happily.

He squeezed her closer, "Yeah?"

"You're amazing."

"Thanks. But I got to say, you kept me evenly matched."

"Hmm…and," she lifted her head away from his chest enough to see his face clearly, "I never got to tell you."

"What?" he wondered.

She smiled peacefully, "I love you too."

He let a rough chuckle go, "Go to sleep Nami. You'll want to be rested for tomorrow. I might want to make a habit of this."

She blushed and hit his shoulder with as much strength as she could muster, "Zoro!"

"Heh, you know you'd want to." He mumbled in as what he tried to sound as a husky tone.

"Yeah…" she whispered before going off to sleep, wrapped in the arms of the man she had loved for years.

She went to sleep that night with a smile on her face, something Nami had almost forgotten how to do. She no longer wanted her treasure back in her grasp, but to be held forever in his. Even through their continuous stupid fights and all their disagreements, they still found love and made it work. They also both knew it would last. Zoro looked down at the same beautiful woman the next morning when he awoke and kissed her forehead a few times before whispering,

"G'morning, babe. Time to get up, we gotta enjoy our first morning together a little before noon," -he looked over to 'their' bedroom chair- "And tell Sanji to stop coming over so early in the morning!"

**

* * *

! Author's Notes !**

Hey everyone! Thx 4 reading "Words From The Heart" and being so patient for the final chapter:D (Yes, this will be the last chapter! I thought of doing a little extra…sumthin, if u could see up there, but I decided to just leave it out.) So now, to be fair, I'm gonna give a shout-out to all my loyal fans:D

**Jill 1209:** Lol, this one's longer! I know, I missed smexy Zoro 2! ;D

**Mirathin: **cute is always nice! I hope u enjoy this chapter and will review again!

**:** (aint that kewl how that work out for your anonymous name?) I'm sorry I wusn't soona! I hav family issues (not happy or sad issues, just…annoying 'o-mi-gosh-gotta-get-away-from-my-parents-and-finally-move-to-mydream-home-away' issue) so I couldn't find time! But I ditchd a day of fun and my friend's b-day (SHH!) 2 update! Hope u enjoyd and review!

**geko blackjack:** Thx 4 da compliment! Makes me giddy (tee hee). Ur right, 2 or 3 reviews r damn lucky (especially wit my silly writing) but is it okay 2 ask for luv? Lol hope u enjoyd dis and review

**dragonfly: **(whil im writing dis 4 u, I'm listening 2 "Butterfly" frum DDR XD) ooh! Climax! …sounds kinds wrong, especially wit wut wuz gonna if I hadn't had stoppd da naughty scene der (seriously, Zoro wuz gonna go all animal-instinct on Nami oo …I kinda wish he would 4 me…) hope u enjoyd and review

**xrandii:** im glad u found luv, xrandii. :D Thx 4 da compliment! I enjoy a lot of reviews given by u, ur so nice 2 me! Thx! Hope u enjoyd and review

**Gothy Wolfie: **( waves like maniac Hey buddie! XD) thx 4 da good wishes. Hope u likd dis chappie, like, hope it was good enuf 4 ya'll. Plz review if u'd like

**Golden-Fire-Goddess:** Ah, anotha faithful reviewr all da way thru:D Thx 4 luvin dis, evn doh it aint da best :P Well, if u read a certain part, it took Zoro about six months 2 find Nami XD remember, they were so far away, they communicatd wit pigeons, so it aint dat unrealistic. Hope u enjoyd and review

**Hyousetsu:** OMG! My chappie was GOOD? Thx:D Im glad I made u happy! Plz enjoy dis chappie and plz review if u would b so kind 2 li'l old me

**Marina Mihawk:** (aint dat Zoro's enemy last name or…sumthin? Hmm…) Omi, ur way 2 kind. Thx 4 luvin dis ficcie. Oh now, Im not dat creative. I actually came up wit a line for da poem in da first chapter and den made da rest, den da whole chapter itself, and ppl likd it, so I made more to it. Nuttin special…thx 4 readin! Plz review if ud like

**Skieloon:** I bet u r a genius!  …no saracasim at all! Im serious! Sry, I didn't update by da tomorrow of the day u sent ur review! Drat, I guess I lost a cookie . PLz review again if u can

**samantha myres: **I noe, I hate when good stuff happns and ppl just magically fall off da face of da earth and neva continue. DUNT WORRY! I'm still alive! I wrote more! Hope u enjoy and review plz

**foreverjewels: **OKAY! I wrote more! DUNT HURT ME!...lol, thx 4 bin an enthusiastic reviewer:D plz review again, I luv reading ur nice remarks

**weixuan18: **aww… blushes its not that amazing…thx 4 the compliment thou! Hope u like dis chapter and review plz

**Black Fox:** Yosh! Thx 4 luvin my silly little ficcie! Yes, I agree, its is strange. In fact, when I first began this, I saw…maybe…seventeen episodes of the show :P but I saw Zoro witout a shirt and fell in luv! Den I saw him save Nami and yelled at da tv, "U LUV HER!" …im an oddball :P and dunt wrry, I only reveald in dis chapter wut her treasure was! Hope u understand: it was her heart. That's why the whole thing was scary for them, because they held the other's heart in their hands and mayb didn't noe! Dat'd b scary…Hope u like and review plz!

**guest:** OMG! I hope u didn't fall off da edge of ur seat waitn 4 this! Plz enjoy and mayb get seatbelt for your chair:P

**Bulma Brief:** OKay! PLz ENjoy!

That's all she wrote, folks:D I really hopd u enjoyd my instalment of a ZoNa ficcie and it pleasd u! Im ritin anotha 1 soon that was inspired by most of the one piece themes (in Japanese o'course!) It'll b calld…let's see…

**My Soul Duty**:

**While docked in a new town, an explosion erupts in the main square and Nami has missing! It turns out a pirate she once struck a deal with is after her for her end of the deal. The crew needs to find her fast because this man is _deathly_ insane! Rated T-M for usual One Piece language, violence and so gore scenes.  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance, Humor and Tragedy**

Please do check it out! I SWEAR it's better then it sounds! It'll b up…let's see by Saturday. Plz remember my name and check it out!

**HELP: **Plz, in a review, tell me a One Piece episode wit a ZoNa moment in it! Most preferably in Alabasta, nothing before Arlong Park! Thx!


	20. Epilogue

**_One Piece: _**

**Words From The Heart: Epilogue**

With her in his arms, they sat on their outdoor porch, huddling together for warmth. Staring up at the sky in silence was the couples favourite past time every evening. No matter what had transpired during the day, whether it had been an angry squabble or they were exhausted from events, they always found the nerve or energy to accompany each other outside every night to gaze up at the moon and stars. The very same moon and sky that had watched them come together. After all, 'twas it is not a memorable moment?

Resting his chin atop of her head, he sighed lightly without sound, just refreshing his memory. He was just truly overjoyed to finally be able to breathe without a constricting feeling in his chest. No wound from Mihawk could compare to the anxiety that had filled his entire body for the past eight years, even if time froze in that painful moment forever. Somehow, within one evening, in one instant when they had kissed, or admitted their feelings, or maybe even climaxed, all that pain and hurting melted away. No remnant of it remained except for the memories, which were too big a deal to forget.

Snuggling closer to his chest, she absorbed as much of his warmth that she could. His musky, heated scent was such a soothing scent, like a lullaby, like a drug. His strong arms encircled around her torso made her feel so safe, encasing her in what was known as Roronoa Zoro, as she was now Roronoa Nami. It would never sound as fitting as it had for him, since it was his name from birth, but she thought her name had added a cute touch to it. He had grunted when she told him that, saying the name Roronoa was strong and powerful. She contorted by saying the name Nami was cute and catchy, so it made Roronoa sound more like a name of a person instead of an evil organization. They laughed together, one laughing more then the other.

A breeze floated by her shins, lifting the edges of her light dressy-white frills. Goosebumps rose from her ankles to her arms, making her let out a light breath of air. Zoro felt them on her sleeveless arms and sighed.

"I told you to wear a jacket."

"You're warmer then any jacket." She answered sleepily as he brought his arms over her shoulders.

"What am I suppose to do with you if you get sick? Do you know how much work I'd have to do around the house?"

"We do have a friend named Chopper, in case you forgot." She sounded snooty.

"Nami, it's autumn. You're supposed to wear warm clothes, okay? I'm not going to overwork Chopper because you don't feel like wearing sleeves."

"But I'd rather wear you…" now she sounded sleepy.

"You can't wear a person, especially not me."

"But you're muscles are like little pillows. There so warm…"

"How are they pillows if they're rock hard?" Her logic was still weird to him.

"I noticed, whenever you're around me, they soften and relax. They really relax after…" she left the sentence open to him, hoping her seductress voice was a hint enough as to what she meant.

"Well, that's natural."

"Hmm, and fun, and feels good, and—"

"I get it, you love it."

"No, not it, I love it with you."

"Take out two words in that sentence and it would've meant more to me."

"It's just, when I say that, you normally go off, and we can't do that right now." She sounded sincere now as she patted her stomach.

"What?" he asked urgently.

"Yep, we got ourselves a little bun in the oven, as some people say."

"But—already?"

"I know. That's why we need to slow down a little."

"Then you really need a coat! …What kind?"

"Huh?" she looked up at him, and he looked down.

"Is it a boy or girl?"

"If my stomach doesn't make it obvious I'm pregnant, then the baby hasn't developed that much yet, so Chopper can't tell yet. He says he should be able to let me know before Christmas."

"So, you'll be due…?"

"Around June, he guesses."

"How come he can tell you that but not my kid's gender?"

"He can tell you the rough idea of the due date because _our _kid is already in my stomach. He can't tell you the baby's sex because it hasn't grown enough yet."

"Don't say it like that."

"Say what?"

"Our baby's…"

"Sex? Why? ...Doesn't make you want some?" she teased as she turned her body to face him.

"You can't Nami."

"I'm gonna hate the next eight or nine months." She pouted.

"It's not as if going without sex for long is something new, Nami."

"I know, but I love you so much!" she mocked him as she threw her arms up around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth. Then she giggled, "Oops, did I get you?"

"Sadly, no."

"WHAT?" she pulled back from him.

"Because I don't want to endanger our kid!"

"Is that all?" she sounded deadly.

"Believe me, if you had done this to me before you told me, I'd have thrown you inside by now."

"Really? …I'm never telling you anything ever again!"

"Fine—"

Suddenly, a childish sniffle could be heard at the door. Both adults turned around to see a young old golden-blonde child at the door in green pjs and holding a blanket behind his back. He had a strong look on his face, but you could see the small tears in his eyes clearly.

"What's wrong, Zouki?" Nami asked as she got up slowly and walked speedily over to her son, knelt down in front of him and wiped away a fallen tear.

"I-I…I thought thewe was a monstew in my woom, 'cause I saw a big black thing…so I came out hewe…to pwotect you, mama." He tried sounding tough for his dad, but he was shaking a bit in the knees.

"Aw, sweetie, come here." Nami opened her arms to him.

"I-I don't need a hug! I-I'm hewe to pwotect you!"

"It's okay to show emotion, Zouki. If you wanna cry, cry. If it scared you, that's okay. Everyone's afraid of something." Zoro informed his son. As soon as he finished his little speech, tears started pouring out and he leapt into his mother's arms. She hugged him close and ruffled his hair gently.

"It's okay, Zouki, it's all right." She soothed melodically.

"M-mama…?" he asked through a sob.

"Mm-hmm?" she answered as she kissed his head, then pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"Can I…um, I could…um…"

"Nami, take Zouki to our bed. I'm gonna go kill that monster in his room." Zoro said sternly and glared at his son's bedroom window, as if he really was going to exterminate something. His son looked amazed, while his wife looked pissed.

"Zoro! Don't say that word in front of Zouki!" she scolded.

"Huh? …Fine, I'm going to get rid of the monster in his room, then I'll come join you two, okay?"

"Okay! That's my supa-cool dad!" He held his hand up to his dad with such a happy smile. Zoro looked down at his son and couldn't help but want to smile too. Then he gave his son a high-five and began to tie his bandana around his head.

"Okay Zouki, you go make sure there are no monsters in mama and dad's room and I'll be in a second. You can do that, right?"

"Yeah, you bet! I'll pwotect my mama against the dumb monstews!" And little Zouki ran inside.

"His hand is so small…" Zoro whispered under his breath. Then suddenly, Nami went on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. He looked over at her calm happiness and stared at her with a confused look.

"What was that for?"

"A kiss for good luck, since my husband is going off to battle."

"Should I chop it to bits or throw it out the window?"

"I was thinking decapitating it."

"Okay…that's dark."

"Well, wouldn't millions of monster parts all over his room."

She laced her fingers with his as she giggled, leading him in the house.

"Hey," he called gently. Before she could turn around, he pulled her against his chest and hugged her. He kissed her temple once, and then asked, "What should we name this one?"

"Hmm…if it's a boy, I say Zasuke or Nosuke. If it's a girl, I say Namazu."

"You know, people are gonna begin to think we're weird if we keep using the letters of our names to name our children."

"Honey, they never stopped to start again." They shared a laugh, then a kiss, then went inside, while the moon smiled down and the stars twinkled in the sky.

**

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Translations:**

**Zouki- **both boy name endings in Japan, but when divided: Zou- statue (like how Zoro told Nami and Vivi to pose when they were going to be turned into statues) image, elephant. Ki- spirit, skill, pure, crude

both boy name endings in Japan, but when divided: - statue (like how Zoro told Nami and Vivi to pose when they were going to be turned into statues) image, elephant. - spirit, skill, pure, crude 

**Zasuke & Nosuke-** 'Za' is the first letter of Zoro and the second letter of Nami, 'No' is the first letter of Nami and the second letter of Zoro. '-suke' is another manly ending to a boy's name. It was really a joke.

**Namazu-** catfish. Nami is compared to a cat by Oda-sensei and known as a burglary cat, while her name means 'wave'. So I chose catfish and it just happened to have the same first three letters as Nami's name.

Hope you all enjoyed the epilogue! Please R&R:D

Ja ne!

Words From The Heart is officially done:D


End file.
